Angry People
by Black Dragon of the Bayou
Summary: Final Chapter up...Malik is the victim of daily abuse at Domino High,spending most of his time alone. Can Tea help him through the tough times, or will hate tear them apart? MalikTea, JoeyMai. Thanks to all who have read.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is probably going to be the most controversial fic I've come up with yet. As a matter of fact, I may say some things that shock you, hurt you, or even make you angry. As a friend of mine would say, this fic isn't for the weak at heart, if you can't stomach it, that's too bad. I wouldn't recommend that anyone under 14 read this fic, but if you're mature enough to handle it, good for you. It's just an expression of something that I feel strongly about, and I just happened to come up with a way to express it in YGO fic. The topic…. well, you just read for yourself. I don't want to give anything away. Enjoy…and please review…I want to hear your thoughts on this.

Quick Note: Domino City is in the U.S. for this one, and I'll be using the names from the English dub (I know, I know, those folks at 4Kids and the WB messed it up, it just makes it easier for me) This fic will be fairly short by the way, I'm guessing seven or eight chapters at most.

Random Quote: **"A simple friend thinks the friendship is over after you've had an argument. A real friend knows it's not a friendship until after you've had a fight."- Unknown **

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything else in this story that may be mentioned, all I own is this idea and the fingers that are typing this. Get it? Good. _

**Angry People: **

**Chapter One**

It was a breezy day at Domino City High; the sun was shining brightly in the afternoon sky. People were walking around, having fun with their friends, playing games, and just enjoying life. Well…everyone except Malik Ishtar. He had arrived in Domino a few months ago with his sister, Isis, from Egypt. Unfortunately, while his sister's career as an exhibitor of fine art grew prosperous, his social life did not see such great success. He spent nearly all of his time alone, and constantly heard whispers and rumors about himself. Some were cruel jokes about his heritage; others were threats to himself and his sister. As Malik walked outside on his way to lunch, he remembered the day those threats went beyond words…

"_How's that, you worthless sand-nigger?" _

Malik remembered those words as clear as crystal. He remembered how a group of boys, all of them a great deal bigger, jumped him one day after school. They kicked, punched and stomped him until he could no longer defend himself. Then, they did something that hurt him so deep was so traumatic for him; he hadn't spoken to a person at the school since.

"_Open your fucking mouth, punk." _

_One of the attackers pulled out a gun, while the others held Malik up against a brick wall._

"_I said open your goddamn mouth, towel head!" _

"_Please…stop this…I haven't done anything. I don't even know you!" This statement earned Malik a vicious strike with the pistol across his stomach. He could have sworn by the sickening crunch he heard that one of his ribs was broken. _

"_That's what you get, fucking terrorist! Now open up…you ever played Russian Roulette, punk?" The thug pulled out a cartridge of bullets. _

"_When you play with a six-shooter, you only load one bullet into the revolver, so there is only a one-in-six chance of you taking the bullet. But, we got something planned real special for you, boy." The older boy loaded five chambers with bullets, getting cheers from some of the boys as he did it._

"_Now, so…ready to play, terrorist?" _

_Malik opened his mouth to protest, but the thug forced the gun down his throat, leaving him unable to speak. _

"_Alright boys, lets see how lucky this son-of-a-bitch is!" _

_ONE…_

_Malik began to pray frantically, it was almost certain he was about to die. _

_TWO…_

_He braced himself for the end, hoping that it would come quickly and painlessly. _

_THREE…_

_He shut his eyes tight; waiting for his head to be literally blown off…but the bullet never came…Malik opened his eyes and realized that he survived, physically anyway. His emotions, his dignity, could not have been more hurt. _

"_Look at him fellas, the Arab boy took a pee-pee on himself!" The gunman and his cronies laughed, taking Malik's suffering and using it for their own twisted pleasure. _

_Malik, his eyes downcast, could only listen as they mocked his fear. Suddenly he felt his jaw pulled upward. "You ever look at my sister like that again…you won't be so damn lucky, you got that punk!" _

_Malik couldn't respond. He didn't know who this guy was, and was pretty sure he didn't know who his sister was. _

"_I think the sand-nigger gets the message, man…let's get outta here before we get busted." One of the younger boys suggested. _

"_Right." The boys scrambled away from the scene, running like scalded dogs. Malik leaned against the wall, holding his ribs, blood pouring out of his nose. He couldn't cry…he felt no sorrow, no love, no amazement. All he felt at that moment was pain and pure hatred…_

Malik had reached his destination, a picnic table on the outskirts of the campus. It was there that he ate his lunches. He was either too afraid or too full of hate to eat with the other kids of the high school. He opened up his lunch bag, usually left ready for him by his older sister in the morning.

"PBJs again…what a surprise!" He muttered sarcastically as he began to chomp down on his lunch, unaware that someone was watching him…

Tea looked over at the loner eating his sandwich, eyes distant. She had felt so sorry for him: she had seen some of the things he had gone through, what some people had said about him and his sister. She hated what many of the other students had said or done to him, but was scared that if she spoke up, she would fall victim to the same abuse. She wished that she could reach out…show the boy that someone cared, but she didn't know how.

"You alright, Tea?" Yugi asked, very much concerned with his friend.

"I'm fine, Yugi, thanks for asking." Tea looked up at her longtime friend, smiling slightly.

"Are ya sure, Tea? Ya look pretty depressed." A blonde boy by the name of Joey Wheeler chimed in.

"Yes, Joey. I'm sure. Are you ready for that Calculus test today?"

Joey nearly fell out of his seat. "Calculus test? Today? How come I didn't know about dis?"

Yugi and Tea couldn't help but laugh at their friend's plight.

"If you had stayed awake during class, you would have know that Miss Williams announced the test last Friday, Wheeler." The three turned around to see a familiar face…scratch that, scowl.

"You shut up, Kaiba! Nobody asked you anyway!" Joey bellowed through gritted teeth, his dislike for the 17-year-old CEO/honor student shining through.

"Humph! You asked a question…I merely gave you an answer. The truth hurts, doesn't it mutt."

Kaiba and Joey continued to verbally spar, with Yugi playing his usual role as referee. But Tea didn't really care at this point. She could only think about Malik, and his sitting there all alone. No more…she had to do something….

"You guys, I'll be right back."

Too graphic? Too short? Not deep enough? Love it? Like it? Absolutely hate it and think I should burn in the depths of hell for writing it? LET ME KNOW! I don't even know if I should continue this fic…I might be making some enemies with this one…and before you ask, NO, I'm not prejudiced, YES, I'm a young black kid from Louisiana trying to say some things that I think I need to say. Well…that's it for this chapter…and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

BigLos…out


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **What's up? I looked over the first chapter of this fic and thought to myself "Damn, Did I just write this? This is pretty sick…" It's amazing what you can do when you're angry. Anyway, before I continue, I just want to say that this fic was inspired in part by a conversation that I had with a group of people online about race. After some of their little racist jokes didn't phase me, they seemed to be a halfway logical bunch. We talked for about an hour about different subjects, from Martin Luther King Jr. to our (when I say our, I mean United States, so that may not be neccescarily yours) immigration policies…it was an eye-opener for me about this problem that I believe unfortunately may be getting worse instead of better. Well, some thanks are in order before I continue:

**DojomistressAmbyChan: **I'm very happy that you've taken some time to look at this fic…you're the author of one of my favorite stories here on and its really cool to hear from you. Thanks!

**Shylyinthedark: **As always, I appreciate your review. You may want to save some of those tears…I have a feeling it may only get worse before it gets better..

**Sequha: **Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you like the rest of it as well. Glad to have you on board.

**ZeldaJewel: **Thanks so much for the review, you're also an author of one of my favorite stories on this site; your input is appreciated more than you know.

**Snow Weaver: **Thanks for your review, and like you said, things like what occured in the first chapter DO happen, and they can happen to anyone of any particular race.

** Bakurasangelash:** Thanks for the review, glad you have enjoyed it thus far!

**Mariks1andonly:** Thanks a bunck for your review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Well friends...here's chapter two!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!..etc.etc. All I own is the plot and the fingers I type with. 

Angry People

Chapter Two

"_You guys, I'll be right back." _

Tea got up from her seat at the table and went over to Malik's table. She ignored some of the odd glances that came her way as she sat down next to him.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

This drew no response from Malik. As a matter of fact, he was acting as if he didn't even notice her presence. He merely took another bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and stared off into the distance.

This may be a little more difficult than I thought… 

Tea studied over the young man's features in silence. He had a slender build, with a tanned, copper-colored skin tone. His hair, a clean clear white, sprawled over his head and shoulders. "My name's Tea Gardner…I'm in your Geography class. Do you recognize me?"

More silence.

"Um…I noticed that you usually eat by yourself…and I was wondering if you would like to join me and my friends. Would you like to join us?"

Malik rose up from the table, a somewhat angry look on his face. "What the fuck do I look like…a charity case? I sit by myself for a reason."

He stormed away as a small crowed watched the scene in front of them. Tea simply picked up her lunch and went back to the table with her friends, seemingly undaunted by Malik's harshness.

"To be honest, I don't know why you tried to talk to him anyway Tea." Tristan spoke, his voice surprisingly stern. He, Duke, Serenity, Ryou, and Mai had all made their way to the table and had seen the incident.

"Tristan, she's just trying to be polite to him. What's wrong with that?" Serenity spoke, standing up for her older friend.

"Nothing Ren, I'm just saying that it could be dangerous for her _and _Malik to be together.." Tristan said bluntly as he ate a piece of his hamburger.

"He has a point...certain people could see..." Duke nodded his head toward a group of boys who had their eyes on Anzu. Most of the stares were of nothing but lustful cravings, but one of them was one of deep rage and furious anger, just waiting to be unleashed on some unfortunate victim.

"The skinheads? Why would they care?" Ryou asked as he put down his drink.

"Um...you don't know already Ryou?" Mai asked, a somewhat shocked expression on her face.

"Nope."

Mai leaned in and whispered something into his ear, and he nodded his head in understanding.

"Well...that explains a lot of what we've seen today."

"Can we talk about something else? I don't really want to talk about it...Yugi anything going on at the shop today?"

Yugi blushed slightly at the mention of his name. He had a small crush on Tea since they had met, and everyone in their particular circle of rriends knew. They had all encouraged Yugi to talk to her, to let her know how he felt, but his shyness towards her prevented him from doing so.

"Nothing really...Grandfather said he would be leaving on vacation tonight, so he's closing the shop up for the weekend." 

"YES! Party at Yugi's house!" Joey and Duke proclaimed loudly, giving each other a high five.

"Forget about it guys, the last time we had a party Ryou threw up all over the bathroom floor, _You_ and Kaiba got into a fight Joey and somebody got caught making out in my closet! That's enough for me."

Everyone laughed as Yugi recalled the last party they had nearly a month ago, it was a wild affair indeed. Suddenly, Tea felt someone tower behind her...in her mind she already knew who it was.

"Get up and come with me, _now."_

_**Sorry...had to cut if off right there! Due to the surprising number of reviews, I will make this fic longer than I anticipated...does anybody know who the guy behind Tea is? I bet you don't! Hahahaha...ok, I'll shut up. Anyway, please review and take your vitamins! **_

_** BigLos...out  
** _  



	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Greetings readers, sorry I took so long to update. Well….here's the thank-you list:

**Snow Weaver: **Sorry for the cliffhangers…bad habits die hard. Anyway, your review and your support are appreciated.

**Shyly in the Dark: **I'm glad you like this fic so much…thanks for the review.

**Trueyamigirlfriend: **Glad you see some potential to this fic…I hope my writing takes that potential and makes it into something worthwhile. Thanks for pointing out that Mai is 24, but I simply decided to change her age for this fic (18), so bear with me on that. I appreciate the review.

**Leigh4: **Not necessarily an update with the speed of the gods, but an update nevertheless. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for your review!

**Mariks1andonly**: Thanks for your review, and I'll try to make the upcoming chapters longer than those previous.

**DojomistressAmbyChan: **You, a fan of me? Aww…thanks! Um…anyway, as I said earlier, I'll be making the chapters longer. Thanks for your review.

Well...here's chapter three.Enjoy!

**Chapter Three: Forbidden Fruit**

_"Get up and come with me...now." _

Tea stood up and faced the person who beckoned her.

"What do you want, Van?" Tea had her hands on her hips as she questioned him harshly.

Van was near 17 years of age, with a small but very muscular frame. His chestnut hair hung loosely down his shoulders and upper back, and his sapphire blue eyes were filled with concern and fear.

"What the hell were you thinking just now? Don't you know that those yahoos over there hate it when people like you try to mingle with people like him?"

"What do you mean people like HIM? And who do you think you are telling me who I can hang out with! The last time I checked, I'm the boss of me!"

"You know what I mean! Marik is different...and you know how some people are around here, if they can't understand you, they HATE you...and anyone who wants to "help" them."

The bells of the school rang, summoning the students back to class.

"Just be careful, OK, sis?" Van smiled weakly as he gave his sister a big hug.

"Don't worry, I will. Do you have soccer practice?"

"Yup, so I'll need the car. Catch you after school?"

Tea nodded her head, and headed off with her friends to school.

"So class, here's your next assignment. I want you to pair up into groups of three and do research on a country of your choice. No, Joey, New York is NOT a country. I want this done by the end of the week, and it will be 30 percent of your term grade. Is all of this clear?"

The class all nodded their heads, and the their instructor put them into their groups.

"Yugi, Joey, and Quincy, you'll be Group 1. Tristan, Ryou and Amare, Group2. Tea, Seto...and Marik, you'll be working together as well."

Kaiba cursed under his breath. _Great, now I have to waste time out of my precious week to do a project with Psycho-boy over there and that friendship-preaching moron Gardener. This is going to suck immensely..._

After the class ended, Marik tried to shuffle out of the room as quickly as he could but was stopped by Tea.

"Marik...we need to set up how we're going to do this project. You don't want to fail, do you?" Tea smiled slightly, Marik stared at her.

"If you two are done, I would like to arrange this crappy little project."

Tea and Marik turned to see a visibly irritated Seto Kaiba standing before them.

"Meet me at my mansion at five this afternoon. We'll get this over and done with in one night.."

Without a second glance, Kaiba picked up his briefcase and headed to his next class.

"He's always in a foul mood...I'll see you later, OK?"

Tea was hoping to get at least a word out of the boy, however he just walked away.

_What's his deal?_

* * *

**_Warning: _The following scene contains graphic language and sexual references...please don't read if you're easily offended or under the age of thirteen. Thanks...**

* * *

**Later that afternoon...**

Tea hustled through the back alleys of Domino City. She knew Joey and her friends would disapprove of her going this way, hell,her brother would blow a gasket, but it was the fastest way for her to get home.

She suddenly heard a car creep up beside her.

"Hey...how much for me and my friends?" The driver of the car and his cronies snickered as Tea tried to walk away.

"Hey, slut! I'm talkin' to you! How much for you to fuck me and my friends here?"

Tea knew if she was rude that it could only make matters worse, so she attempted to be polite. "I'm sorry, my body's not for sale..."

A passenger stuck his head out of the side. "Well, if you ain't sellin' it, I guess it's free! Don't you, fellas?"

The other two passengers cheered in agreement, and they quickly exited their car...blocking Tea's path.

**I know...I know, I should have kept going. Just wanted to point out quickly that Van (Tea's Brother) is just an minor character, he won't have too big a role in this. Did you like? Did you hate? Any suggestions? Let me know! Thanks for spending part of your day (or night) with me. **

**BDB...out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Greetings, loyal readers! In the process of a mass update, so a quick mailbox and then the fic. OK? OK!

**Shyly in the dark (and LeighC): **Thanks you two! A little graphic, I know, but this is what comes to my mind sometimes I guess. Take care!

**Haven of Darkness: **:knocks on back room door: Um, sorry to interrupt, but thanks for reading!

**Sequha: **No need to apologize. Life can be like that sometimes. Thanks for reading, and keep workin'.

**Mariks1andonly: **Glad you liked the chappie, and fear not, more updates are coming!

**LadyPhoenix99: **Thanks for reading, and who said anything about Marik rescuing her? Don't assume too much my friend!

**Snow Weaver: **I can be so cruel, can't I! Thanks for reading friend!

**Tamis: **I'm glad you like it so much, and enjoy the update!

Thanks, and here's the next chapter!

**Angry People**

**Chapter 4**

Tea could see that she was surrounded, and with no way out in sight.

_This isn't good..._

See tried to run, but was grabbed immediately by two of the thugs and slammed against a hard, cold brick wall.

"Mmmmm...let's see what this little kitty here has on underneath these fancy clothes."

The ringleader pulled out a knife and began to cut through the pink jacket that was required as part of her uniform, exposing her undergarments.

"Get off of me! I'm not some cheep slut!" Tea squrimed under their grip, desperately trying to get away. She could feel their hands roaming up and down her body, and it's a feeling she wished that she could erase from her mind.

Tea prayed sliently to herself, hoping that someone would save her.

"Nobody here to save you babe...we're gonna have some fun with you tonight." She heard one of them whisper as he fondled her chest.

Tea began to cry as one of them cut her skirt off, exposing her panties.

"I called first!"

"Over my dead body! This was my idea anyway!"

"Hey...who said you were in charge anyway?"

As the men argued amongst themselves to see who would do what to Tea first, a tall, intimidating figure appeared before them.

"And what exactly is going on here?"

The men looked up from their bickering to notice the man standing before them, and laughed when they recognized him.

"Hey, it's that rich boy! You know, the one who lost to that punk Yugi Mutou!"

The gang laughed, and two of them proceeded to pin Tea to the ground in an attempt to rape her.

"There are two things I hate in this world...weaklings and rapists...and you four morons are both." Kaiba's eyes, a rich, deep blue, were glaring at the gang, almost gazing into their very souls.

"I guess we should teach Rich Boy here a lesson!" One of them got up and pulled out a knife. He waved it around a little in a drunken stupor, then charged at the brunette...

**Meanwhile...**

Marik walked down the sidewalk, humming a song to himself on the way. He was actually in a cheerful mood for once, for his sister had called him and told him that his stepbrother and best friend Odieon would be in town for a visit later today.

Suddenly, he could hear the sounds of a scuffled, and a muffled cry for help. He slowly made his way to the source of the noise, and saw one of his classmates lying on the ground, nearly naked and bleeding slightly from the mouth, and another figure, whom he thought was Seto Kaiba, fighting off the attackers.

"Dear Ra!" Marik rushed over to the girl, checking to see if she was alright.

_It's Tea...I better get her out of here! _

As soon as he tried to help her to her feet...he was hit in the back of the head with a hard right fist.

"It's you, huh, terrorist? I thought we told you to stay outta here! I guess you need to learn the hard way don't you?"

Marik grabbed the back of his head in pain, but was able to rise to his feet in an attempt to defend himself. Fortunately for Marik, he wouldn't have to do anything. Seto Kaiba had grabbed the fiend and decked him with a tremendous right hand.

"Thanks..."

"Spare me the gratitude, Marik. Is Gardener alright?"

Tea, by this point, was unconcious and lay bleeding slightly from the mouth. Marik checked her pulse and turned back to Kaiba. "She's alive, but she needs help."

Kaiba immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. "Don't bother to try to move her...help is on the way." With that, Kaiba walked away, leaving the two to their own devices.

**_Later that day..._**

****

Tea woke up slowly, her head pouding, lights flashing around her.

_Where am I?_

"Hey, guys! Tea's awake!"

Tea was a little woozy, but assumed that the voice belonged to Joey.

Everyone rushed to the hospital bed, despite the protests of the nurse on duty, to express their thanks that she was alright.

"Thanks everybody...how did I get here?"

The group turned away from Tea to look over to her rescuer.

"Marik?"

"I found you on the street...Kaiba was trying to save you, and I was able to give him a little help."

"Kaiba?"

_Seto Kaiba, doing something NICE? That's it, hell has frozen over! _

Tea noticed that Marik was blushing slightly, and he quickly turned his back to her and the rest of the group. "I gotta go..."

**Not much of an update, I know, but here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I promise the next chapter will be longer!**

**BDB...out**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hello all. If you get a chance, please check out my profile, I have an announcement on there on how I will update my fics from here on out. Enough about that, here's the mailbox:

**LadyPhoenix99: **HA! Thought you had it figured out to a T, eh? Thanks though, because reviews like that keep me on my toes and in some ways help me from being too dull and predictable. Thanks for reading.

**Shy and LeighC: **Yeah…I wish life could be like that sometimes myself. In any event, thanks for reading you two!

**Sequha:** I'll try to update more in the future, and thanks for reading. Glad you love the story.

**Devil-Grl: **Here's the update you asked for, and thanks for reading.

**Mariks1andonly: **Hey! Glad you like the story so much. Thanks for reading!

With that done, I guess I should get back to the fic. Enjoy people.

**Angry People**

**Chapter Five**

"I say ship 'em all out, them and those Mexicans! They're not doing anything except robbing people here of our jobs, jobs we can't afford to lose. We're losing so many jobs right now to other countries because our cost of living is so damn high, and we have a government that is too stupid to fix anything, so we gotta take matters in our own hands sometimes."

They did it everyday. Two boys from the same neighborhood, one a middle-class white, the other a middle-class black. Everyday they would meet in the cafeteria and argue about almost anything. On somedays, the cafeteria would sit quiet as their arguments turned into heated shouting matches.

"I agree with you that our government is stupid, that they are blind to things, but you can't just ship every person of Arab decent out of the damn country! Some of them are born here for goodness sake!"

"Born here, there, it doesn't matter. They all want us dead. They want our way of life dead."

"They may not agree with everything our country does as far as world affairs go, but that doesn't mean they want us dead."

"I beg to differ. I saw this documentary about Arabs living in this country after 9-11...the kids in the Muslim schools were calling the men who hijacked those planes HEROES. If that's not wanting us and our country dead, I don't know what the hell is."

"Not every Muslim or Arab person in this country feels that way."

"I don't care. So many of them have found their way here that want to do harm I'm scared to let my little sister leave our house at night. You don't know what those fuckers are planning!"

"Whatever...maybe if this country treated people abroad with more respect and compassion, things like that won't happen. Take this for example, we're all up in arms about what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, but what about the Sudan? People there are being slaugtered by the hundreds and we stand by and do nothing but say 'Oh, it's such a tragedy! We'll sic the UN on them.' Those people need our help just as much as people in other places, so why aren't we bombing them senseless? Why aren't we invading that country? I'll tell you why...in three letters...O..I..L."

Yugi listened to them as he ate a burrito."They're in good form today, wouldn't you agree Joey?"

"Yeah...who needs CNN when you got these two guys? Uh-oh...here comes Moneybags."

Yugi and Joey were silent as Seto Kaiba stood over their table, briefcase in hand. "How's your dog chow, Wheeler?"

"Keep walkin' Kaiba, or you'll find out afta I shove it down your throat!"

"You should work on yourinsults...Yugi, I want you to inform Gardener that we have a project to work on.Tell her to meet me and Marik at my home at 4:00 sharp, and tell her to catch a bus. I can't save her pathetic carcass every time someone tries to harm her."

With that,the CEO/Honor Student made his way to his own table.

"What an arrogant, no-good, money-grubbin' assh-"

"Calm down Joey. I was thinking maybe you and I should walk her home today, just to be sure."

**_Tea's English Class_**

"Your essays on the politics of Congress will be due in two weeks. I strongly urge you to finish your research and begin your rough drafts today so that I can check them on Monday."

Tea sat in her desk, bored as hell. She had already finished the rough draft of her report so the teacher's words were irrelevant to her. Amazingly, she suffered no severe injuries when she was attacked just two days earlier. She didn't dwell to much on what she remembered of the assault, mainly because she didn't want her family or friends worrying about her. She doodled on a piece of paper as she tuned-out the droning of the middle-aged schoolteacher.

"Miss Gardener...are you listening?"

"Um, Yes Ma'am."

"What was the last thing I said?"

Tea paused for a second, a little unsure. "Well?"

"Didn't you say something about our paper on Congress?"

Many of her fellow classmates muffled giggles and laughter at Tea's response. "Tea, that was ten minutes ago. We were just talking about the next literature assignment I have for you."

"Oh..."

**RRRRRRING!**

"Class dismissed! Remember, those papers on Congress will be due in two weeks. Tea, will you stay here for a moment please? We need to talk."

Tea walked to the front of the classroom nervously, adjusting the collar on her shirt.

"Yes, Miss Shelton?"

The teacher took off her reading glasses and spoke to one of her most accomplished students. "Tea...I've been told what you went through the other day and I feel very, very sorry for you. Personal feelings aside, I need you to focus on these next few assignments. Right now you have a D this quarter, and that's a gift considering your grades. Even before you were attached you've been behaving a little strangely. If you don't start to perform, I'll have no choice but to fail you. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

Tea smiled slightly at her teacher, and hurried on to her next class.

**_Marik's Economics Class_**

"I'm very pleased with all of your small buisness project results, and I'll have your grades posted by next Tuesday."

The phone on the young economics instuctor's desk rang. "Hello...yes...I'll send him up immediately. Marik...your sister is here to pick you up. You're dismissed."

Marik looked up from his work a little surprised. _What's going on? Ishizu never comes her to pick me up. I hope nothing bad has happened._

The young boy picked up his books and backpack and left the classroom hurriedly.

_One hour later..._

Marik stood in the living room of the apartment, observing the damage that had been done. Furniture had been broken and smashed all over the place. The computer and various other appliances were stolen.

"When did this happen?"

Ishizu was clearly shaken by the whole thing, and sat in a chair that was lucky enough not to have been stolen or destroyed. "I came home to make lunch about an hour ago...I'm not sure when they did it. Most of everything that we worked so hard for, gone. Just like that." Ishizu's voice broke on that last sentence as she started to cry.

Marik slammed his fist against the wall, furious. "Why won't they leave us alone? What did we do to them anyway?"

Spray-painted on their door was this warning:

**Arab Dogs Go Home**

**Wow...looks like someone took matters into their own hands. This could get ugly. Oh, I have an announcement up on my profile about my new update schedule. My plan is to get out at least one chapter of a story per week, and to make the chapters a bit longer. Please leave a review on the way out, and thanks for reading in advance.**

**BDB...out**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Greetings loyal readers, thanks for spending part of your day (or night) reading my work. Lots of reviews for the last chapter (well, just a lot to me anyways), so I'll take some time out to answer them:

**Seguha: **Here's the update, and I'll gladly join your C2 staff! You're the first person to ask such of me, and I'll be glad to jump on board. One thing though, can you tell me how to register for it and such? I don't think I've used it but once since I've been here. Thanks for reading!

**LadyPhoenix99: **Thanks for reading. Glad you like the update strategy; here's hoping it works for more than a week.

**Haven of Darkness: **Two words…well said! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the update.

**Moses the little gurl: **It's in America…I thought I had pointed that out sometime earlier, sorry if you were confused. Thanks for reading.

**TrueYamiGirlfriend: **Thanks for the rave review. Me? Mature? Some said it was never possible…anyway, enjoy the chapter.

**LeighC (and Shy): **Thanks. I'm not stressing too much over the chapters, I just want to make longer ones so that you guys (or girls) would have more to read. Yup…people can be narrow-minded sometimes. I think we're all at least a little guilty of it sometimes.

**DojomistressAmbyChan: **Hey, thanks for reading! I enjoyed your update very much so and I hope you can get some chapters of your own in.

Well, that's everyone. Enjoy the chapter!

**_Angry People _**

**_Chapter Six_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

Yugi, Tea, and Joey walked near the Kaiba mansion, a surprisingly cool breeze blowing in their faces.

"Thanks for walking me over here guys. After the whole thing that happened the other day...I really appreciate it."

"No prob, Tea. Dat's what we're here for. I wish you knew who those punks were who tried to rape ya! I would beat the living sh-"

"Joey...no need to get worked up." Yugi butted in, trying to calm his longtime friend. "Hey, here's Kaiba's house."

Tea looked over the gated 100 acre estate in sheer awe The lawn was pefectly cut with a large fountain with a mermaid as the centerpiece in the front. On one side, a regulation sized basketball court complete with benches sat unused On the other, a pool with a big slide was visible, with what appeared to be a little raven-haired boy sliding up and down on it with glee. "That's not a house...its a freakin' palace!"

"Too bad moneybags has ta be such a jerk, huh?"

"HEY! That _jerk _helped save my life, bonehead!" Tea took a swing with her rather heavy booksack, and clubbed the blonde in his midsection.

"Owww! Geesh, what happened to ya sense of humor?" Joey grabbed his midsection in pain as Tea walked over to the front gate.

**_State your name and purpose, please._**

"Tea Gardener, and I'm here to work on a project with Seto Kaiba."

**_You're early, Miss Gardener. I'll inform Mr. Kaiba of your presence immediately. Welcome._**

"Thanks."

With that, the gate opened up for Tea to pass through.

"Well ...I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

Yugi and Joey nodded. "Yeah. Call us if you need anything, OK?"

Tea smiled to her two friends and walked past the front gate, which closed shut behind her.

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

**_XX_**

Marik and Ishizu rode down the street in silence, still angry about the day's events. "Ishizu...why does this kind of crap happen to us? I thought when we came here, things would be even better for us than they were before, instead they get worse! It's like we're fucking cursed!"

"Watch your mouth...I've told you about using words like that." Ishizu warned, her sapphire eyes glaring down the road.

"Sorry, sister. It's just that it seems like we're hated so much here. It gets so bad sometimes that I just want to pack up and head back to where we came."

Ishizu brought the car to a stop as they reached their destination. "I'll be here to pick you up at seven, OK?" She tried to at least fake a smile for him, but Marik saw through it and rushed out of the door.

"Drive carefully on the way back."

Ishizu nodded. As she watched him file past the Kaiba Mansion gates, books in tow, her head began to fill with worry. She knew that they could rebuild they could rebuild the material things that they had lost in the theft; she had saved thousands of dollars in insurance and savings. The thing that she wondered about most was that if she could somehow rebuild Marik's trust in society.

As she pressed on the accelerator and sped away, Ishizu was sure that would be a difficult task.

**_XX _**

XX

XX

XX

XX

**_Marik's POV_**

After I checked in at the front gate, I walked on the long sidewalk in to the behemoth that is Seto Kaiba's home. I prayed silently that Tea and Kaiba weren't in a particually talkative mood because I sure as hell wasn't. My home had just been vandalized, my sister had just been threatened with bodily harm, and they stole my damn laptop! That's probably enough to piss off just about anyone.

After making my way into the living room, I flopped down on one of the couches and waited for Kaiba and Tea to show.

"Hey! Please get off the couch like that! Seto hates it when company does that."

I looked around to try to find where the frantic shouting was comming from and I found a boy of about thirteen standing behind me. His hair was black and messy, and his eyes a deep, rich shade of blue.

"Hello, Mokuba."

"Hey, you must be Marik. Follow me, Big Brother told me to lead you over to the study."

I got up off my comfortable position on the couch and followed Mokuba to the study. As soon as he was sure I had found the room, he hurried off into his own room. I think I heard him say something about a girl named Rebecca, but I was tuning most of his dribble out. I opened the two double doors and saw Kaiba (who for the first time I had seen was NOT wearing a trenchcoat) and Tea. Tea glanced up from what she was doing and smiled in my direction. "Hello, Marik. I guess it's time for us to get started on our work."

Kaiba, who was working on his desk, grunted. "It's about time. You've wasted three minutes of my time by not dragging your carcass in here at the time we arranged."

"Hey! I'm your research partner, not one of your damn employees."

I think that little rip caught his attention. He immediately stopped whatever he was doing and looked up at me with this death glare. "Watch your tounge when you address me."

"Guys, can we go ahead and get started?" Tea looked at us both with pleading eyes. "I have dance practice after this, so I would like to get this done as quickly as possible."

Kaiba said nothing and proceeded to get back to whatever he was doing, and Tea breathed a sigh of relief. I'll admit she looked very cute in her mid-length skirt and sleeveless blouse, both of which were a light blue that matched her eyes perfectly. Tea wasn't neccessarily the prettiest girl in our school (popular opinion said Mai Valentine), but something about her personality made me curious. I'm not sure, she just seemed different from everyone else...as if she didn't hate me.

_About two hours later..._

It didn't take long for us to finish the assignment. Kaiba had everything printed for us and we each took a copy of our own to turn in just in case we lost the original we had put together. Kaiba quickly had his personal security escort us from the estate, and we were left to wait for our respective rides home.

"Kaiba's a bit of a jerk, but he knows how to get things done."

I could tell she at least wanted to have a little bit of a conversation going between the two of us, so I obliged.

"Yeah."

"It's a little chilly outside, don't you think?"

"Yeah."

She looked over at me and frowned a little bit. "Is that all you say?"

I gave her a sly grin. "Maybe..."

She giggled a little at my little joke, and I laughed with her. It had been a while since I had sat down and laughed with someone other than my sister; I was LONG overdue. After our laughter had subsided, her expression suddenly grew serious.

"Marik...you were there when I was...attacked. If it weren't for you and Kaiba, I probably would be laying dead somewhere right now."

I cringed a little at the thought. A creature asbeautiful as her didn't deserve to be treated that way. "Are you trying to thank me?" I smiled again.

She put her hands on her hips. "As a matter of fact I am! Are you mocking me?"

"Maybe..."

She rolled her eyes at me, amused with my head games. Finally, my sister Ishizu showed up to get me and I slipped into the passenger side.

"Hello Tea. Will you be alright out here? We could give you a ride if you need us."

Tea shook her head. "No thanks, Van's comming to pick me up and he should be here any minute. Any news on the game today?"

"I think they won, 2-nil. Don't take my word for it."

As the two young women pratted on and made small talk, all I could do was look over at Tea. For just a few minutes, I didn't care that I was the most hated person in the entire city. I didn't care that my apartment had been ransacked by thugs. I didn't care that my ribs were still healing from beatings nearly a month ago.

Something about her makes me whole.

**Hope you enjoyed it folks. It's probably going to be a while before I update again. I recently got a new job, so now I'm going to have to squeeze in updates whenever I can during the week. The little update chart on my profile, ignore it. I've got to change it anyways. Thanks for reading, leave a review on the way out, and take care of yourselves! **

**BDB...out**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry for the little layoff...life's been a blur for me lately. Well, to those who reviewed:

**LadyPhoenix99:** Yep, Marik is slowly but surely changing his views about people. I wonder how long that's going to last...Thanks for reading.

**ang31-blue: **Marik/Tea/Seto?...It's possible. Thanks for reading!

**Sanguine Dreams: **Glad you liked it. I hope you try out some of my other fics, they may surprise you. Anyway, thanks for reading.

**Cat in the web: **Yeah. It's kinda sad, but things like this can happen and have happened. Not only just Arabs or Black people (just two examples), but to a lot of people in a lot of different races. Thanks for reading.

**ObsessedwithDepp: **Hmmm...I wonder who your favorite actor is? Thanks for reading. I'm happy you liked it.

**Mariks1andonly: **You will see more chapters and I think you will like them just as much as you've liked these. I hope so, anyway. Thanks for reading.

**Shy and LeighC: **Thanks ladies, It's always fun to hear from you two. Hope you like the chapter.

**TrueYamiGirfriend: **Thanks. I do a great job? Really? Glad you think so.

**DojomistressAmbyChan:** Thanks, and the job is working out pretty good. The pay kinda sucks but it's enough for me to hopefully get back to college this fall or next spring. I hope all is well for you, too.

Well, mailbox empty. I'm so sorry it has taken so long for me to update, but as I've already said, life is a blur. Enjoy people.

**_Warning: Coarse language and references of rape ahead. You've been warned._**

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter Seven_**

Joey, Tristan, and Yugi were standing in front of the school, waiting on their good friend Tea. When she finally appeared through the wooden double doors, they looked over at her with a mix of worry and anticipation.

"Well? How did it go?"

Tea had a bit of a frown on her face, and everyone braced themselves for the worst news possible. Then, she smiled.

"WE GOT AN A!"

She came down the stairs as everyone congratulated her on a job well done.

* * *

Marik was riding his motorcycle down the highway, hurrying home to his sister after a long school day. Things had been surprisinglyquiet as of late, and Marik was hopeful that the ordeal that he and his sister were going through would end. 

When he finally arrived, he noticed that his sister's car was still there.

_That's odd, Ishizu isn't usually home this early._

He went to unlock the door and found that it was open. He looked around for Ishizu and could not find her. Despite the damage that had been done to their apartment, between the two of them and Odieon they were able to fix it rather quickly.

"Ishizu?"

He checked the kitchen and the living room, nothing came up.

"Ishizu?"

He went to the bathroom next. No sign of her.

"Ishizu?"

He opened her bedroom door, and what he saw horrified him.

"Dear God..."

* * *

Yugi, Tea, and the rest of the gang were sitting at Ryou's house, watching some television when they were actually supposed to be studying. 

"Hey! Gimme dat piece of pizza! You had tha last piece last time!"

"No I didn't! You made me give it to Serenity!"

The rest of the gang braced themselves as Joey and Tristan had another of their trademark scuffles.

"Can you guys cut it out? The news is on!" Tea threw a pillow at the two buddies, who replied by tossing it back to her.

"Who watches da news anyways?" Joey said as he grabbed Tristan and started wrestling with him once again.

_Our top story this evening, 23 year old Ishizu Ishtar was found raped in her apartment by her younger brother. She's in stable condition at the city hospital, as of now no suspects have been named..._

Tea had heard the broadcaster over the commotion and prompted everyone to be quiet.

"That's terrible. Who would do such a thing?" Ryou asked as they continued to watch the newscast.

"I don't know, but I have some ideas of what they should do with em!" Tristan said, his anger rising.

"I would start with castration."

Everyone looked over at Yugi with a great bit of shock on their faces. He was very rarely this angry. So rare that they heard him swear only twice since they've known him.

"Those goddamn losers shouldn't be allowed to have genitals after such a crime."

Make that three times.

* * *

Marik sat in the waiting lobby, waiting for any news concerning his sister. 

_The police may not know who did this to my sister, but I do._

"Mr. Ishtar? You're her brother, correct?"

Marik looked up and saw a doctor who appeared to be in his mid-30s standing in front of him. He had on a labcoat and wore thin reading glasses on his slightly greying temples.

"Yes, I'm her brother."

"Doctor Lancaster. Your sister...she's suffered a great deal."

"How is she? Will everything be alright?" Marik's voice was a mix of frustration, anger, and worry.

"She'll recover...at least physically. Not only did she have forced sexual intercourse, but she was orally and anally sodomized. We're running some tests to make sure she didn't contract any sexually transmitted diseases, but we expect her to make a full recovery."

"When can I see her?"

"She's sleeping right now, but I'll let you see her when she awakens. OK?"

Marik was silent.

"You look as if you need some sleep. Go home. I'll call you when it's OK to see her."

Somewhat satisfied with the doctor's proprosal, Marik left the hospital. Hurt and worry for his sister were replaced with something else. Anger.

_Once I know for sure who did this...they'll pay with their lives! They robbed my sister of her innocence and humiliated her. I'll make sure that they never do anything like this to anyone again..._

* * *

Tea sat in her room, drawing on a piece of paper as she thought on the news she had heard. 

_Poor Ishizu...She went through something that I was lucky enough to avoid. I think I may need to talk to her. And Marik? What will happen with him now? I hope he doesn't go back to being so cold and distant. I mean, he still prefers to be alone, but when I come and talk to him he doesn't seem to mind anymore. Heh, I think he maybe even likes me a little. That's okay...I like him too._

**Next Chapter: Marik explodes with furious anger as he attempts to find out who brutally raped his sister. Will Tea help him through the pain he feels, or we she become a victim of his wrath?**

**Sorry for the short chapter again. I'll have more time to type and work on my fics so maybe the next one will be a bit longer. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**BDB...out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hello, loyal readers and thanks for stopping by. I'm in the midst of a mass update, so I'll try to keep the responses to your reviews short.

**_Lady Phoenix 99: _**Wow…I hope I didn't stir up any painful memories. Did something like that happen to you or someone you know? (I hope I don't appear to be rude by asking that) Thanks for reading.

**_DojoMistressAmbyChan: _**Hehe…Ishizu will be okay, for the most part. Everyone else, no guarantees. Thanks for reading.

**_Shyly in the Dark (and LeighC): _**You know, the scary thing to me is that I have the potential to get a LOT darker…thanks for reading you two.

**_Ang3l-Blue: _**LOL…Tea's going to play a HUGE role in this chapter, that's all I'll say. Thanks for reading.

**_Malik's Yami: _**I won't stop now; I'm going to see this fic through to the finish. Thanks for reading!

**_Obsessed With Depp: _**It gave you goose bumps? Wow…hey thanks for reading, enjoy the chapter.

**_True Yami's Girlfriend: _**Thanks for reading. I pretty much got that reaction from everybody.

**_Sanguine Dreams: _**I'll address Ishizu's problem this chapter also, but this one's gonna be mostly about: ahem: two certain people…thanks for reading.

**_Seguha: _**You're right…you did review! My bad. Thanks for reading both chapters, and I appreciate you inviting me into your C2 community.

**_Eternal Eyes: _**Hey, I appreciate the kind words about the fic, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. In any event, I wanted this to be a short fic, about 10-15 chapters max, and so the end is pretty close. (I may do a sequel though!)

**_Warning! Strong sexual themes (rape) and violence in this chapter. Read at your own possible discrection (i probably didn't spell it right, but you've been warned.)_**

**Well, here's the next chapter in what I think may be the best fic I have going...enjoy! **

****

**_Angry People _**

**_Chapter Eight_**

****

Marik cleaned the 9mm handgun that he had hidden underneath his bed. Beside him lay a catridge of bullets and a picture of his beloved sister. He wasn't sure exactly who had done this, but he had his own ideas. And when he _did_ know for sure, he promised whatever God existed that they would die a very slow, very painful death. As he cleaned the barrel of the gun, he thought of the horrible memories that would replay in his sister's mind for the rest of her life.

_"Miss Ishtar, I know this will probably be extremely difficult, but I need you to tell me what happened to you today."_

_Ishizu sat up in the bed, holding her younger brother's hand.Her eyes were downcast, hervoice quiet and soft."...Odion had left to return for Egypt early that morning, leaving myself and Marik at the house alone. After he had gone to school, I was by myself doing chores and calling up a friend of mine. While I was in the shower...I heard some voices inside the house. Then I heard something break. I ran out of the shower as fast as I could to reach the phone, but one of them found me first."_

_Marik felt his sister's bandaged hand squeeze his tightly. He knew that the next part would be the hardest for her._

_"...I felt myself being jerked around and thrown onto the bed...t-that's when he called the rest of them in. There were seven of them...all about Marik's age I think..."_

_Marik could see the tears falling from her bruised but still beautiful face, and held her closer as she continued._

_"...one of them said something about how he didn't know "that punk had such a hot sister"...then he ripped off the towel that was wrapped around me...then...the next thing I know...he was on top of me..."_

_Ishizu was breaking down considerably, and Marik tried his best to console her. To no avail. She began wailing loudly, hugging tightly onto her younger brother. The middle-aged detective who was investigating the case sighed and put away his notebook. He stood, and put a hand on the young woman's shoulder._

_"It's alright, ma'am. Take your time." _

_By this point in time, Marik just wanted to tell the detective to go screw himself. However he was too busy holding his sister, hearing her scream painfully loud as she remember what had happened to her less than a day earlier. Her screams, her pain...those were memories that he would have to deal with as well. He felt ashamed, not at his sister but rather for not being their to protect her._

**_Those bastards...they took my sister's joy and her innocence from her. When I found out who's responsible, I'LL TAKE THEIR LIVES!_**

No. Marik would show them no mercy now. He could tolerate them harassing him as much as they wanted. Picking on him and other children. Beating them up. Threatening to kill them. Now they had committed a sin that cannot be forgiven. They had broken one of the things that he held most dear to him. And now they would pay.

Tea walked up to the doorway of Marik and Ishizu's apartment. Truth be told, she really didn't know Ishizu that well and until recently didn't know Marik that well. Despite that, she couldn't help but wonder if the same thing would have happened to her if it hadn't been for Marik and Kaiba saving her. She knocked on the door and recieved no answer. She tried again, and recieved the same reward as before. The brunette then tugged on the knob of the door, and noticed that it was opened.

Marik heard his apartment's front door open, and cursed himself for not locking it earlier. He loaded his gun quickly, and slowly made his way towards the living room.

Tea looked around the large apartment, and noticed that Ishizu's favorite colors must be a dark royal blue and vanilla. The funiture, the rugs, even the television did not escape the color craze that was their living room. She noticed some paintings on the walls, and was slightly surprised that most of them were not of Ancient Egypt but of different places such as modern Rome, London, and Tokyo. Suddenly, her heart started to race as she heard a gun cock behind her.

"What the fuck do you want?" Marik held up the gun, ready to shoot if the girl did not explain herself quickly.

"I..I was just coming by to see if your sister was alright."

"WHAT KIND OF DUMB QUESTION IS THAT! SHE WAS _RAPED!" _Marik's tone was angry, bitter, frustrated, and sad all at once.

"Wh...what's that gun for?" Tea asked quietly, her mind already fearing the worst.

"What do you think? It's for making sure those punks don't get away with what they did to my sister."

Tea felt a lump grow in her throat. She had been through a lot of things, but staring down the barrel of a loaded gun wasn't one of them.

"What, you think these incompetent police will find out who did this with their 'investigation'? If they found out who did it, they'll probably just cover it up anyway. I'm not going to let them get away for defiling my sister that way!"

"Marik...please put down the gun." Tea asked of him softly. She knew that if she barked it out like an order, she would probably have a metal slug in her forehead.

"Get out..."

Tea took a step forward, knowingly risking her life.

"Please...you don't have to do it this way. Please..." Tea took another step forward, limiting the movement of anything else other than her feet.

"Don't come any closer...I WILL shoot you, Tea." Marik was visibly shaking as her eyes pleaded silently to stop the madness.

"I think that if you really wanted to kill me, you would have already." Tea stood now directly in front of him, the gun aimed directly into her forehead. She slowly reached up and moved the gun towards the floor...

Seto Kaiba rode in silence as he and his younger brother made their way to their respective schools. Mokuba was playing "World Duel Monsters Cup 2005" (A/N 1 on bottom) on his GBA, but was thinking about what had his brother so angry.

_Seto isn't usually this grumpy...he was acting pretty much normal until the news came on last night. When he heard about that poor lady getting hurt, he just snapped. I mean, why is he so angry? I know he doesn't like to see people get hurt, but I've never seen him act that way unless I was involved. It's not like he and Miss Ishizu are especially close or anything...are they?_

**Well, that's it and that's all. I hope that this chapter didn't seem rushed or anything (granted it was, since I have a time limit on how long I can use this comp) because you people deserve better. Oh,**

**A/N 1: Just a made up name for the Yu-gi-oh! GBA game "7 Trials to Glory, World Championship 2005".**

**Oh...to those of you who have been reading and not reviewing (you know who you are), please feel free to leave one on the way out. Whether you love it or hate it, condone or don't condone, agree or disagree (ok, I'm being redundant) feel free to leave a comment on the way out. I'm shooting for 70 reviews, but I'll update if i get at least 60 (total, not for the chapter people). I'm all done I guess, thanks for reading.**

**BDB...out**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Hello, people. Since enough people reviewed, I decided to go ahead and post the next chapter. Here's thanking those who did:

_**Eternal Eyes (You're not the only one hoping I can finish this before FF tries to shut me down…although I wonder if they actually would. If you've noticed, I could have made this fic worse….a LOT worse. Thanks for reading.)**_

_**Trueyamigirlfriend (Heh….maybe he does. Thanks for reading)**_

_**Malik's Yami: (Yup, you were number 59. Thanks for reading)**_

_**Shy and LeighC (Thanks, I really enjoy hearing what you two have to say.)**_

_**Seguha (Glad you enjoyed the update! Thanks for reading)**_

_**Lady Phoenix (Sorry to hear about your misfortunes…I hope that time has helped to heal those wounds. And thank you so much for your praise. Lord knows I could have been extremely cruel and made that last chapter more graphic than it was, but I was aiming to accomplish just what you said I did as far as details go. Thank you again.)**_

**_SilentMonkGirl (thanks for adding me to your author alert)_**

**_Malik's#1girl (thanks for reading)_**

Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**_Warning: Graphic violence this chapter, read on at your own risk_**

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter Nine_**

"Hey, guys. Have any of you seen Tea this morning?" Yugi looked around his usual circle of friends, all of which shook their heads.

"I dunno, she seemed pretty upset about dat Ishizu lady gettin' raped." Joeysaid as he leaned on the brick wall of the school's front end, waiting for classes to begin.

"Yeah, but she's usually the first person here every morning, even when she works." Ryou put in, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Maybe we should call her house or something." Tristan put in as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Tea's home phone number as quickly as he could.

* * *

Tea and Malik sat down on the couch, talking about the recent events that had brought them together in recent days. The report, The attack on Tea, Ishizu's rape. Tea came through it mostly unscathed, but it all had taken a considerable toll on Marik.

"Tea...about earlier, I'm sorry about pulling out the-"

Marik was quieted by a single delicate finger placed on his lips. "It's alright..." Lavender eyes met blue, and the two just sat there for a moment.

_Does he feel the same way I do?_

_Does she think I hate her?_

_Is he going to kiss me?_

_If I kiss her, how will she react?_

The two sat there for a moment until Marik looked away. "Come with me."

Tea got a little worried for a second as he headed for his room. She nervously entered his bedroom, and was nearly hit in the head with a helmet.

"Huh? What's this for?"

"For our ride...you said you were concerned about my sister, right?" Tea nodded her head. "Well, let's go." She looked confused as he locked the front door and headed to the back exit. He looked over his shoulder and spoke calmly. "Hey, you comming?"

She mumbled something that resembed sure and exited the home with him. When she saw what they would they be riding, she laughed as if it were some cruel joke. "You're joking, RIGHT?"

Marik grinned evily. "Nope."

"Um...there looks like there's only enough room for one of us."

"Not necessarily...you just have to ride piggy-back."

"WHAAAAAAT!"

Marik laughed outright at her reaction, partly because he had figured out that she didn't like motorcycles so much, partly because she was so indignant of having to ride the entire way holding onto him.

"C'mon..."

* * *

Marik and Tea had finally arrived into Ishizu's room, surviving several near crashes along the way. When they did arrive, Tea swore an oath that she would NEVER ride on a motorcycle again. When they saw Ishizu, they saw that most of the bandages that had covered her her hands and wrists had been removed.

"Marik, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Well, um...yeah."

Ishizu's eyes roamed over Marik with disapproval then shifted to Tea. "You're running around with my delinquent brother, eh? That's a bad idea." Ishizu laughed a little bit as Marik yelled at her in his own defense.

The three sat down together, Ishizu still in her bed, Marik and Tea near the bedside. They talked about everything except the rape...everyone was afraid to bring it up. Marik because he still felt so much anger about not being able to stop it. Tea because she knew that the same thing very well could have happened to her. Ishizu...well, for obvious reasons.

"So...Marik...are you too a couple now?"

Brunette and sandy-blonde alike looked at the young woman as if she had grown a second head.

"HUH! OF COURSE NOT!" They both said at the same time.

Ishizu smiled again. "I don't have to be psycic to see that something is forming between you two."

Tea was blushing profusely, as was Marik. Maybe there was more to what

"Um...I think I'll step outside a second, I'll be waiting outside. I'm glad to see that your feeling better, miss Ishizu..."

"Thank you for visiting, Tea. Tell your brother I said hello."

With that, Tea grabbed her purse exited the hospital room as quickly as she could. When the door was closed, Marik felt a little more comfortable about bringing up the subject.

"Um...when are you going to talk to the detectives again, sister?"

Ishizu's smile faded at the mention of the detectives, those strange men in buisness suits with notepads, jotting down every word she said...asking her to remember the most painful of her relatively young life.

"Later today...will you be here?"

Marik smiled and leaned to kiss his sister on the forehead. "I'll always be here for you, siser."

Ishizu's smile returned, but faded again as she remembered how he had come to the hospital in the first place.

"OWWWW! What was that for?" Marik was holding the back of his head after recieving a surprisingly hard blow from his sister's hand.

"FOR MISSING HALF OF YOUR SCHOOL DAY! IT'S 11:30 ALREADY! GET ON YOUR BIKE AND GET YOURSELF AND TEA UP THERE!"

Marik was a little angry about the blow, but was happy to see that his sister was going back to being her normal self, meaning being his surrogate mother and authority figure. Despite being only four years apart, (he being 17, her being 21) Ishizu was a force to be respected, and feared. He found that out more than once when he had disobeyed her.

"OK! I'm leaving now!" Marik grabbed his helmet and started to head for the door.

"Marik..." The Egyptian stopped in his tracks.

"...I know a good thing when I see it. You should too."

Marik didn't take long to figure out who or what Ishizu was referring to. "Whatever..."

* * *

"No...please..." A young man was laying on the ground, his leg bleeding profusely. Around him in the dark alley were six other men, dressed in a mixture of punk/goth and "white power" clothing. They had already been killed. He used whatever strength left in his body to lean himself up against a brick wall...the same brick wall that he and his friends had raped several women on in the past.

A man standingalone, carrying a high-powered rifle, was slowly putting in some more shells. His white hat, covering hismess ofdark brown hair,had a midnight blue sash around it. He wore an everyday buisness suit, navy blue blazer and pants, light blue shirt and black tie. His shoes were black and had become soiled with the blood of his six previous victims.

"I'm sorry kid...butI got orders. My client payed a great deal of money to have you and your boys eliminated." The man checked to see that every thing was in order before he raised the gun...aiming directly for the young man's head.

"p..p..please...I have a daughter...don't kill me...please..."

The man's green eyes were cold, distant. "I'm not paid to dish out sympathy, kid. Just to do my job. Should have thought aboutyour daughter when you did whatever it was to piss off my client.Don't worry...you won't feel a thing."

The last thing that the young thug heard was the sound of the rifle going off and his own screams for help. He fell to the ground, his body limp, joining his companions.

The assassin heard his cell phone go off as he muttered something about his suit needingto go to the cleaners. "Cracker Jack...yes, sir, everything has been taken care of...my men will be here shortly to clean up the mess...very good...I'll meet you at the point tomorrow to pick up the rest of the money...yes sir. Good day."

_**I wonder, how many of you were expecting that...if so, this soon. As we say goodbye to the "bad guys" I pose this question...Is this killing justified for the things which those seven young men had done? I would like to hear your opinions on the subject. The magic number for an update this time is...drumroll please...70. When my counter hits that, I'll do what I can and give you all an update. Thanks for reading.**_

**_BDB...out_**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: Hello everyone! Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. They keep this story going, you know! Anyway...last chapter I asked you all a question about the proper punishment for our fiends. I just want to say that I'm against killing in general and have reluctantly decided to oppose the death penalty. I could have thought of some other things to do to those jokers, but I chose that one to keep this fic on this site. It would have been a shame to turn this into an NC-17 affair. Now, thanks to:

**_Lady Phoenix: Thanks for your review. I understand your take completely on what happened in that scene. I may disagree, but I can surely see where you're coming from. _**

**_Seguha: Thanks for reading..enjoy the update._**

**_Silent Monk Girl: Thanks for reading, give me the full name of that fic and I'll check it out. _**

**_Malik's Yami: Glad you like what's going on with the fic...I think you'll like what's tocome!_**

**_Awyr: I'll explain the name "Cracker Jack" before the chapter starts. Thanks for reading._**

**_Demented Insane Spirit: Thanks for the praise, and I hope you enjoy the chapter._**

**_Eternal Eyes: If that's what you think, that's cool. I wouldn't want people to BS with me when I ask something. And most of those rapists you were talking about...four words for those guys when they go to jail: "Don't drop the soap" Thanks for reading._**

**_Shy and LeighC: Wow...I'm stunned. If anybody had something to say about something like that, I thought it would have been you two. I'm not criticizing you or anything, I'm just a little surprised. As always, your opinions and your reviews are welcome. Thanks!_**

**_KillaOtaku666: Thanks for reading...I hope you enjoy the rest of this!_**

**_DojoMistressAmbyChan: You catch on to clues real quick...thanks for reading!_**

**_Anonymous: You're just as good as Amby-chan at catching clues...enjoy the chapter._**

Oh, if any of you were wondering, I borrowed the asassin from last chapter from a Street Fighter (No, I don't own that either) game. Cracker Jack, or simply Jack, was one of M. Bison's (AKA "Vega" in Japan) top bodyguards. He's well known for his style of dress, which includes a hat that always hides his eyes, and his baseball bat (with attacks like "Home Run Hero" or "Home Run King", you would probably need a bat). Enjoy the chapter, people!

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter 10_**

Malik and Tea arrived at the school at about noon, barely making it to their late classes. Surprisingly, the day went on without incident, as no one (especially their teachers) asked why they were absent for most of the day. When the final bell rang, the two young students hurried out of the building along with the rest of the student body. Yugi and Joey suggested that everyone go out for a shake, which everyone agreed with. While the rest of the gang was eating and joking around, Tea seemed a little out of it. Sure, she would laugh a little with every one of Joey's wisecracks about Tristan's hair, but she just seemed a little distant from everyone, as if her thoughts were in another place.

"Hey Tea...you sure everything's alright?" Tristan asked before he and Joey fought for the last piece of pizza on the table.

"Huh?..No, everything's fine!" She looked up from her plate, her face beaming with a smile.

"I don't think so...you've been acting a little funny since Malik said he couldn't come with us earlier." Yugi looked at her suspiciously.

"Yeah, and why did you two show up here so late? Together, no less!" Mai asked, also suspicious.

"Um...well...it's a pretty long story..."

* * *

"Miss Ishizu...you can stop if you want to, I don't want to rush you..." The middle aged detective spoke in a soothing tone as Ishizu latched onto her brother, tears streaming down her face.

"It's alright...I can finish...The guy...he held me down. He told me I was just another whore, that I deserved it. When he finished...he spat in my face. Then they flipped me over..."

Malik was crying now. As prepared for the testimony as he was, even the detective couldn't resist shedding a tear.

"That's when they...sodomized me...all of them. It hurt so much, I prayed to die. They just kept on going and going...Every time I screamed, they just laughed and kept on with what they were doing to me. They saw the blood and kept on anyway...when they finally stopped, I passed out. That's all I can remember."

Ishizu couldn't control herself after that, she cried even harder into her brother's chest, who was trying to console her as best as he could.

The police officer shook his head, and put away his notebook. "You have a lot of courage...I promise we'll do everything in our power to bring these punks to justice."

Ishizu couldn't speak, her train of thought completely wrecked. Her brother spoke for her.

"Thank you, officer. Do you mind if my sister and I have some time alone."

The detective nodded. "Of course. My interview is finished, we'll continue to investigate as long as-  
" The man couldn't finish before his cell phone rang. "Detective Carter...What?...How many?...Good God...I'm on my way."

Malik's curiosity got the better of him. "What's wrong?"

The man stood and put his jacket back on. "There's a team of my colleagues near the stream on the edge of town. They just found seven bodies...all shot execution style."

Brother and sister were silent.

"It's a damn shame, really. I have to go...you both know where to reach me, right?"

Malik nodded his head. "Yes, sir."

"Good...I'll see you later."

With that, the door was closed, leaving the two siblings alone.

* * *

"Mr. Kaiba...the drop has been completed, Sir."

"Good...how much did you send?"

"About 100 thousand dollars for each target."

Kaiba smirked as he recieved the news of his handiwork. "We've done Domino City a service...Thank you, Roland. Now find my brother for me; he should be in the East Wing."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

The teenager picked up his laptop and went back to work. With that little piece of buisness taken care of, he could go back to the business of running his company.

* * *

Tea and Yugi walked down the street together, the same street that they had lived on since they were toddlers.

"Tea...I think you like him."

"Huh?" Tea stopped in her tracks, a blush instantly creeping on her face. "Who are you talking about?"

Yugi looked up at her, grinning sheepishly. "You know who...I'm surprised, I don't think I would be able to have a crush on someone who had me at gunpoint."

"HAHA, very funny Yugi!" Tea said as she walked along, kicking a can down the road.

"I'm sorry...It's just that you two...don't seem to be so much alike."

"Well, we do have plenty of things in common. We love our siblings more than anything else in the world, we stand up for what we believe in, and we both have gone through some pretty troubling experiences..."

Yugi nodded as he listened, trying his best to hide the creeping feeling of disappointment. "Do you like him?"

Tea was a little taken aback by the question. Yugi was rarely ever this blunt. "I'm not sure..."

"I think you are...listen Tea, I'll always be your friend, no matter what. I would like something else between us, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. Just knowthat I'm always behind you, alright?" Yugi looked up at the brunette, a sad little smile on his face. He loved her, but he could tell someone else had captured her heart.

"Yugi...I don't know what to say." She had a feeling that Yugi had something for her, but she didnt know where

" 'I love you' would be a good start." Yugi's grin turned into a happier one as they approached Tea's house.

"What am I going to do with you? That Joey, he's such a bad influence on you!" Tea laughed as she waved goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Sure thing, Tea." Yugi waved as he ran down the street to his grandfather's game shop and home.

Tea closed her door, locking up behind her. She went over to the little drawer on the other side of the living room. She opened the top drawer, pulling out two thin pieces of paper.

_It looks like in this duel, I'll have to make the first move..._

**Well, well. What does Tea have up her sleeves? And why exactly did Seto Kaiba order the hit on those thugs? And is Yugi as totally behind Tea as he claims? Find out next time!**

**Well, thank you all so much for reading. Fear not, the best of this story is yet to come! 85 reviews will get you all another chapter as fast asI can do it, 90 will get you one about twice as long as one of my regular ones. Hope you all enjoyed it, and take care! I'm out!**

**Forever LSU**

**BDB...out**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Just a quick little ramble before I get started: A magazine came to me earlier this month and in it a survey was there asking me to declare my favorite Yu-gi-oh character. My choice? Hmmmmm...I think I'll let you all take a guess at it. Winner gets a prize! Well...if anybody cares in the first place. Thanks to:

**_Lady Phoenix: Lol, I guess I did. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and thanks for your praise._**

**_Eternal Eyes: Yeah, guess it was. But it is well known that those who commit rapes, especially against children, are the most common targets of rape in prison. Thanks for reading._**

**_LeighC and Shy: Thanks for the compliments. I understand Shy's desire not to offend, and won't press the issue on that. Enjoy the chapter._**

**_Malik's Yami: Don't worry...I'd rather you use the word interesting than the words boring and lame. Enjoy the update._**

**_DarkAngelWP05: Hope you like the update._**

**_Seguha: The wait is over, hehe._**

**_Phantom of Blood: Since you asked so nicely, here's an update._**

**_Girlmagic: Thank you for the compliments, and thanks for adding me to your favorites list. I appreciate it._**

**_DangerousandDemonicDevil: Well, here's the update. Hope you enjoy it._**

**_punkchickGC: OSKEE WOW WOW! Number 85! Enjoy the chapter..._**

**_T.O.T.: I wish you had left your email address, then I would have thanked you sooner. I appreciate the good things that you've said about this fic, and I'm glad you've found some meaning to it. I hope the rest of it lives up to your expectations._**

**_SilverStorm106: Hey..hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading_**

**Sorry if I missed anybody. Enjoy the chapter peeps!**

**Angry People**

**Chapter 11**

Outside on the lawns of the sprawling Domino City High campus, Tea sat down on one of the lunch tables, playing with two scraps of paper in her hands. On the table across from her, two boys a year younger than her were chatting about various things, laughing and cracking jokes as they did. Well, cracking jokes until another one of their epic conversations began...

"Man...look around. This school is so full of tension it's ridiculous." One of them took another sip of his drink before he spoke again. "Do you see it, John?"

The boy called John looked over at his best friend perplexed. "No, I don't. Yeah, I saw those skinheads and some black guys clash a couple of times, but other than thatI have no idea what you're talking about, Will."

"Look around, dammit. Stop eating and start thinking, John. How many different groups of students do you think are on this campus?"

John grimaced as if he were in deep thought. "I dunno. I know you have your preppies, your goths, your jocks, your wanna-be rappers, your nerds, dopeheads...hell, I could go on and on all day."

"Do you ever see them hang around each other?" Will asked, glancing around at a group of younger boys arguing whether or not Shaman King or Pokemon was the better show.

"The cliques, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"I guess not...you never see the preps with the geeks, the geeks with the rappers, the rappers with the goths...what's your point by the way?"

"My point is this: what happens to those who don't fit in somewhere? What happens to those who don't have a house the size of our gym, or they don't dress in black and write depressing poems? What if they're not athletes or champion gamers? Where do they go?"

The other boy shrugged. "Hell if I know, you and I aren't in one of these cliques and we look like we'll make it outta here alive."

"I know that, John. But we do it by choice. We refuse to hang out with people just because they're from the same background or the same color skin. It's not about things like that to us. But what I'm saying is that people who don't have a choice could go through some terrible shit. Take Ryou for example-"

Tea looked up, her curiosity awakened by the mention of her friend's name.

"-when he first got here, he didn't fit in anywhere. It seemed like nobody wanted to be near him because of his white hair and the fact that he didn't speak to many people didn't help matters. Then someone started spreading nasty rumors about him...he was a homosexual, a devil worshippper, a peeping tom, a closet fan of the Teletubbies...you name it, people said it. Luckily for him, Yugi and his friends found him and let him join up with them. The guy was getting death threats to his house and everything. Just think...some people considered _that _to be in good fun."

John nodded his head. "I remember."

Will looked down at his watch. "Shit! I didn't intend to sit down this long! I'm going to be late for morning detention AGAIN!"

"Serves you right...why did you go and call Coach Dampier an old fart anyway?"

"Because I can!"

Tea watched as the two boys got up again, laughing and carring on as they headed for the main building. She looked down at the pieces of paper again, and sighed heavily. Would he even accept her offer if she could ever build up the courage to ask?

* * *

Ishizu was doing fairly well. She didn't get her once-routine eight hours of sleep anymore, but her life was slowly getting back to normal. She was doing paperwork from her hospital bed for her job, and would soon be ready to leave the hospital for good. Her test results all came back negative, so they had no further reason to hold her. As she was reading over the proposed budget she heard a rather timid knock. After Ishizu gave the person permission to enter, the door cracked open to reveal a young, beautiful nurse who was perhaps only a little older than Ishizu. Her green eyes had a fearful look in them, and her face looked slightly pale. 

"Excuse me, Miss Ishtar...you have a visitor."

Ishizu eyed her suspiciously. "Marik's in school. I thought only kin and those accompanied by my brother were allowed."

The young woman shifted uncomfortably as she entered the door. "I'm sorry...but he insisted."

Ishizu saw the reason for the young woman's fear walk into the room behind her, his cold blue eyes taking in the room.

"Kaiba? What are you doing here?"

Before turning to even face Izhizu, he glared down at the young woman who had shown him in. "Why are you still here? Get out."

The woman stuttered a little as she spoke again. "B..b.but Mr. Kaiba..I was told not to-"

The woman nearly fainted as Kaiba's eyes met hers once again. She knew if she wanted to keep her job (among other things) that she should leave. Quickly. "Yes, sir. Excuse me."

With that, the young woman shut the door, leaving Kaiba and Ishizu alone.

* * *

Detective Carter was examining the evidence that he and his team collected. He didn't understand how he could see the terrible things that people did to other people on a regular basis and still remain sane. He guessed that was his job. As he examined the jeans pocket of his last victim, he found a piece of paper inside. He opened it, and read the brief message inside. 

_Detective Carter...when will you learn I don't leave behind any evidence? You haven't caught me once and you never will. I just wanted to let you know something, the boys that I whacked today deserved every bit of pain and suffering they went through before I did away with them. I also wanted to let you know that this was my last job. My client gave me a rather pretty penny for this job and along with my other earnings will allow me to retire and live comfortably for a long, long time. Just know that I enjoyed our little cat-and-mouse games to the fullest; and don't work too hard at that desk, eh?_

_Your Favorite Killer,_

_Jack_

Detective Carter laughed bitterly as he added the letter to the evidence list. In his nearly twenty years of law enforcement, Jack was the only criminal who had managed to oursmart him. But some questions came to him that was rather confusing...what did the boys do? Who did they piss off so greatly that they ordered them dead? And why did Jack bother say how he felt about them? In his previous whack-jobs, he killed someone, left his ha-you-won't-ever-find-me letter and went about his buisness. He left the examination table and sat down at the desk of the city coroner (who happened to be his wife). This was going to be a long night of work indeed.

* * *

Yugi got off the bus, his head down and his usual optimism gone. Joey was thrown for a loop at what was wrong: he had tried everything to make Yugi laugh. His Al Pachino impersonations. His patented "Godfather of Games" speech. He even sung a song professing his undying love to Mai Valentine (who acted as if she weren't listening but was beaming with happiness inside). None of it had worked. As the bell for the first class rang, Joey decided two things. First, he would get to the bottom of whatever was eating up his friend Yugi. Second, he promised to do anything possible to help him. 

**_What does that old guy on wrestling always say..I think it's something like "Buisness is about to pick up"...anyway, in the next chapter Joey comes up with his "perfect" solution to Yugi's problem. Well...let's just say some of the gang won't be too happy about it. Ishizu and Kaiba have a "friendly" discussion about various happenings, and Tea finally decides to make her big play. Will it work, or blow up in her face? Find out next time._**

**_For an update...let's try to get 100 reviews in. You all have been faithful readers and I don't see any reason why you wouldn't review. Shoot, if I get even about 95 or so, I'll update, so feel free to criticize, opinionize (is that even a word?) and scrutinize. See ya!_**

**_Forever LSU_**

**_BDB...out_**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Rebuilding may be a slow, painful process…but I promise you, the people of New Orleans, Biloxi, and other cities and small towns in the Gulf Coast will rebuild. I'm sure that you've heard enough about Hurricane Katrina to make you puke, so I'll switch gears. I tried to see if anyone could guess my favorite Yu-gi-oh character, and no one was able to get it right. This may surprise you, but my favorite character is (insert drumroll) Joey Wheeler. I'll explain myself after the chapter, as most of you have probably fallen out of your chairs in shock. Enjoy peeps.

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter 12_**

"Class...I know with the big soccer final matchtomorrow, not to mention prom coming up it will be difficult to focus on this exam, but it's crucial. It will be about 20 percent of your final grade for this quarter..."

Joey listened as his teacher droned on about their next geography test. Yugi, who sat in the seat in front of him, just drew on his notebook listlessly as the teacher droned on. Seeing an opportunity, the blonde quickly slipped his friend a note. Yugi picked up the small note and read it as the teacher started into his lesson for the day.

_Hey Yug, everything's cool?_

Yugi scribbled something down on the paper and sliped it back to his best friend. Joey, just happy to see that he wrote something down, hurriedly opened the note.

_No._

Joey frowned as he quicky scribbled something as a reply.

_What's wrong? C'mon! SPILL IT ALREADY!_

Joey watched as his friend turned his note into a ball of trash and put it underneath his book. It didn't appear that he wanted to talk about it at the moment.

* * *

"I wasn't expecting you to show up here, Kaiba." 

"I wasn't expecting to come here, Ishizu."

Kaiba and Ishizu glared at one another for a while in a tense silence. "Well, why are you here?"

Kaiba strolled over to her side of the room and sat down in a nearby chair. "I heard about what happened to you."

"Well, considering it was plastered all in the papers and on television, I'm not surprised."

"Ishizu...I warned you that staying in that neighborhood would not be good for you. You and your brother have a lot of enemies there."

"Don't come in and attempt to lecture me, Seto Kaiba. What do you want?" Ishizu was up out of her bed now, her body covered in a standard-issue hospital nightgown.

"I'm making one last offer to buy out your museum and your place of residence." Kaiba continued to sit, his eyes focused on the slighty older woman. "Well?"

"Kaiba...no. I'm going to stay here. My brother and I left Egypt to come here for a fresh start. We've found it, and this has become our home. _Nothing, _not you, your money, or some drunken thugs are going to change that."

Kaiba snickered. "You should stop being so selfish.You're staying here because of your own stubborn ways. You say that Marik wants to stay here, but I promise you that if you ask, he'll leave this city in a heartbeat for next to nothing." The small smirk that was on his face evaporated. "One million dollars...that's my final offer."

"Kaiba...we're staying. If we leave now, we'll do exactly what those fools and others wanted us to do from the start: give up. They would have won..."

Kaiba slammed his fist onto a nearby coffee table. "GODDAMN IT, WOMAN! Not everything is about winning and losing. Even someone as competetive and driven asme knows that!Do you know how many people in this town are behind you? How many that actually do care about the well-being of you and your brother? How do you think they felt after they heard about you being attacked? Do you think they are worried that someone will come after you or your brother and do the same thing...or worse?"

Ishizu barely spoke above a whisper most of the time, but Kaiba's outburst sent her roaring. "ARE _YOU_ ONE OF THESE SO-CALLED FRIENDS OF OURS? IF NOT WHY DO YOU CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME? IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WANT ME GONE ANYWAY!"

"Whatever..." Kaiba stood up as Ishizu glared at him, her anger simmering.

Kaiba strolled for the door, turning around as soon as he made his way outside. "Ishizu...I'm not one of your 'friends', but I still have some resemblance of a heart. Think my offer over."

Ishizu watched him as he strolled to leave.

* * *

Tea and Marik were sitting together eating their lunch, as they had planned the day before. They had just been talking about an exam they had just finished before Tea saw a familiar face running up to her table.

"Hey, Tea...you seen Yug around here?" Joey said as he caught his breath.

"No...I haven't. I haven't seen him all day, as a matter of fact. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah...I think so. He wouldn't talk ta me the entire way to school dis mornin'...I even did my Godfather impersonation!"

Tea covered her ears as she knew what he was going to say in the most pathetic impersonation of Marlon Brando she had ever heard. "_Now Tea...what will you do for me if I give you this favor...maybe the answer is in your purse." _

Marik laughed as Tea and Joey struggled for the girl's purse. Tea managed to reclaim her purse when she tried to kick him in the shin. Unfortunately for Joey, her aim was a bit high...

"Geesh...all you had to do was say 'pretty please'." Joey said as he stood up gingerly.

"Well you got what you deserved, you silly boy!"

Marik noticed that two slips of paper had fallen out of the purse and reached for them. "Um, Tea..these fell out of your purse I believe."

Marik read the bold print on the slips of paper.

**Domino City High**

**Junior/Senior Prom**

**Admit One**

Tea took the papers back from Marik ackwardly. She couldn't follow through with her plans right now...not with the biggest gossip in the gang (arguably the school) lurking only an arm's length away.

Said gossip (one Joey Wheeler) looked over Marik's shoulder and read the same print that the Egyptian had just read.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH...now I get it! Yugi's upset cause you haven't given him his prom ticket! You naughty girl, why are ya makin' Yug sweat like that?"

"Um...Marik...can I get a word with Joey privately please?"

Marik shrugged his shoulders and walked over toward the gym. "Suit yourself. I'll see you later, OK?"

As the boy walked off, Tea turned Joey around to face her. "Joey...I think we need to talk about this..."

**Well...what the hell was Kaiba's deal when he visited Ishizu? Is he trying to be a friend or trying to add more property to his estate? And when Tea tells Joey what's really going on, will the blonde be able to keep his mouth shut? Find out next time...**

**For those of you who have been wondering why Joey of all people is my favorite character here's why in a nutshell: he doesn't own a company, he doesn't have a spirit of an ancient ruler in a puzzle, hell, he can't dance either. But he gives everything he has at anything he sets his mind to, and more times than not he manages (by luck or the grace of the Almighty) to get the job done. Let me get off of the soap box and make one more quick announcement for any Teen Titans, Naruto, and Inuyasha fans in the hiz-ouse: I'll be starting on brand-new fics for Naruto and Inuyasha really, really soon. And I plan on bringing my old Teen Titans fic back along with another brainstorm or two, so be on the lookout. Fear not, all of my Yu-gi-oh fics will carry on to the finish. If you're still reading this waste of cyberspace: thank you and I'll see you soon.**

**Forever LSU (and at least for a while, Tulane) **

**BDB...out**


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: I just wanted to say thank you once again to the people who read and review this fic as often as they can. You have plenty of choices of fics to read on this site, thousands in the YGO section alone, and you chose to read this one. I appreciate it. Now on with the next chapter!_**

**Angry People **

**Chapter 13**

She loved Joey like a brother, but sometimes the boy could be as dense as a boulder! She tried to explain as tactfully as she could that the ticket was not for Yugi, but for someone else. Now he just stared at her like she was some sort of alien, clueless as he could be.

"Um...so if the ticket's not for Yug...then who is it for?" Joey's brow furrowed as he went deep into thought. Thenhis face curled into a furious snarl."NO WAY! _ANYBODY_ BUT THAT NO-GOOD, ARROGANT, COLD-HEARTED SONUVA-BI-"

Before Joey could get the rest of the sentence out, he recieved a surprisingly hard slap to the face.

"If you _ever_ talk about Marik like that again, I'll rip your head off, understand?"

Tea tapped her foot impatiently waiting for an answer as Joey held his now-sore cheek. For a moment, the two friends looked at each other, wondering what the other was thinking. Suddenly, Joey's blank expression turned into a warm, goofy grin.

"I wasn't talkin' about Marik..."

It appeared that Joey wasn't as dense ashe led other people to believe.

* * *

"How did you find me, Carter?" 

Jack was rather surprised. He had made his way to Madrid without leaving any tracks behind to follow. The fact that a detective found him was a real surprise. Then again, his brother wasn't any ordinary detective.

"I looked. It helped that a few birdies pointed out that this is one of your favorite cities to visit." The detective took a seat in the outdoor cafe. The streets were packed with tourists, businessmen, and ordinary folk just trying to get through the day hustling about.

"Visit? I live here now."

"I know...I got your postcard." Carter's face went from being nearly devoid of emotion to a serious glare.

"You did? Then you must know how I got the money to pay for my early retirement, no?"

"I do...who set it up?"

Jack took off his signature derby hat and wiped away some sweat from his forehead. "Now you know as well as I do I can't tell you that. Not good for buisness, you know."

"And the gas chamber, is that good for buisness?"

The assassin laughed. "Yeah right! You and I both know that you don't have anything on me. Tell me Carter...why did you come here?"

Carter looked away for a moment, and pulled out a crumpled up photograph. He slid it across the table to his younger brother. Jack picked it up and gazed at it for a moment. It was a little girl, long brown hair going down her back, blue eyes, and a beautiful smile.

"Her name is Ruth."

Jack looked up into his brother's eyes, which were starting to tear up.

"She's only eight years old. Her mother died in a car accident a year after she was born, leaving her with only her father to take care of her. Although he was known for his white supremacist beliefs, he worked two jobs full-time to take care of her. He and some buddies got drunk and headed out for some fun one morning...they weren't seen alive again. Ruth, well she has no one now. They're probably going to put her in the orphanage now, Lord only knows what after that. Does it make you feel happy knowing that you orphaned a child?"

No answer. Jack's attention was focused on the photo.

"LOOK AT ME YOU BASTARD!" The assassin felt his head being pulled upward as his older brother grabbed his jaw. "IS YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN WORTH DESTROYING PEOPLE'S LIVES?"

"Listen brother, and listen carefully. I'm deeply sorry that little girl lost her father, but I feel just as sorry for the people that this man and his cronies terrorized for years. To tell you the truth, racist beliefs don't really bother me. If someone thinks they're superior to all others, more power to them. But it's when people like that scumbag take their beliefs too far and start to assault, rob, and rape innocent people that I have no sympathy for them. You call what I did a crime? I call it divine justice."

Carter absorbed all of this slowly. When he realized that a crowd was starting to swell up around him wondering what on earth was going on, he let his brother go.

"You listen now. You too can believe what you want, but I'll say this: If I ever hear of you laying a foot on American soil again, I'll blow your fucking head off myself. They won't need the gas chamber."

Carter walked away. He didn't have to know who ordered the hit. This case was now officially closed as far as he was concerned. He had all the answers he wanted.

* * *

"So when were you going to tell us?" 

Tea was flabbergasted. She had no idea that Joey knew. Yeah, he had seen them together at school, but he acted as if he didn't see any signs of attraction at all.

"Well, I was going to surprise you guys...we were going to do the whole Vegas thing and come back hitched."

Blonde and brunette alike laughed at the joke. "That would have been pretty funny...uh-oh..."

Tea followed Joey's nod towards an approaching vehicle, a powder blue convertible. Three boys were riding in it, wearing the purple and white letter jackets of their high-school, a cross-town rival.

"Hey, you're Van Gardener's sister?" one of them yelled out.

"What's it to ya, punk?" Joey yelled.

"Calm down, man. I just wanted to see if that hottie would want to come to our victory party this Friday after we kick her brother's ass!"

This got a bit of laugher from his buddies. Joey wasn't amused in the least, however. "You punks just keep drivin', comprende?"

"Ooooh, yes sir, Mister Wheeler!" The ringleader said in a mocking tone. "Besides,I hear that slut has a thing for foreign boys anyway. What a waste!"

Tea felt a blush of embarassment rush across her face as Joey yelled out more insults and threats from beside her.

"Well...let's get outta here boys...HOTTY TOTTY GOSH AMIGHTY, WHO THE HELL AM I? I'M AN HONOR STUDENT FROM THE GREAT MACARTHUR HIGH!"

The three boys sped off as quickly as they came, and neither Tea nor Joey were sad to see them leave.

"Don't let those morons get to ya...Tea, you OK?"

No, she wasn't. Honestly she felt like crying. Kicking, screaming, anything to let out her frustration. Whose busisness was it who she liked? Why does anyone care what race he was? As usual, however, she played the good friend and kept her emotions in check. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. Now that I've had a chance to see what you were doing for prom, I have an idea for Yug I wanted to run by you."

Tea let Joey whisper in her ear what his idea was and she jumped back in a bit of surprise. "You're serious?"

Joey gave her an evil grin. "Of course...they're made for each other."

Tea giggled. "Have you asked Duke or Tristan yet?"

"Nope...and if they have any problems with it, I'll be glad to beat some sense into them."

Tea smiled and shook her head. One more year, she would have to put up with these knuckleheads.

**Next time: Joey sets Yugi up for his date, Ishizu gives Kaiba her decision, and a soccer game for the ages...**

**_Well, that's it and that's all. Thanks for reading this chapter. Like I said before, you had lots of choices, but you decided to take some time to read this. Thanks._**

**_BDB...out_**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Angry People _**

**_Chapter 14_**

**California Division I High School Soccer Final**

**Patterson Memorial Stadium**

**Domino High vs. MacAuthur High**

_Welcome soccer fans to today's Division I soccer championship between Domino High and MacAuthur High. The fans from both schools have come out in full force to support these two soccer powers who have combined for 34 district titles and 12 state championships in boys' soccer. It's a bitter rivalry divided right down the center of the city: your cousin, sibling, or best friend could go to one school, and you the other. It's a rivalry that sparked a brawl at the end of a controversial MacAuthur victory in 1987, where Domino fans swore up and down that the winning score was pushed in with a hand instead of a legal header. It's a rivalry that produced a double-overtime classic Domino victory in 1999. It's a rivalry that has produced 20 College Scholarship recipients, 5 US National players, and even the city's mayor. Today on this hallowed ground...they battle yet again. Here comes the MacAuthur Marching Knight Band..._

The band, a little on the smallish side but dressed very well in extravagent purple uniforms, marched onto the field and formed an entrance tunnel for their squad. As the band began to play, the MacAuthur studends sang their school's fight song:

**_Douglass, we're all behind you_**

**_Raise High the Purple bold_**

**_For there is nothing near as glorious_**

**_As to see our Knights victorious_**

**_We've got the team, boys_**

**_You've got the steam, boys_**

**_So keep on fighting, don't give in..._**

**_D-O-U-G-L-A-S-S_**

**_MacAuthur will win!_**

On the other side of the field, next to the Domino cheering section, the Domino High band followed the same procedure, and as their team took the field played it's own song...

**_We are the mighty wildcats!_**

**_Bow to the mighty wildcats!_**

**_Year after year we go to (where?) DOMINO!_**

**_Cheering for our cats to go, go, go! (DOMINO!)_**

**_Proudly we wear our colors_**

**_Strength and Loyalty we share_**

**_Sure from far and near_**

**_You'll always hear_**

**_The wearing of the blue_**

**_For its the blue and white of Domino High!_**

Tea, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Yugi were sitting in the stands, waiting for kickoff. Joey and Tea were sitting close enough to each other so that they could whisper...as they had decided to plan it out.

"Where's Serenity?" Tea whispered as she waved at her brother who had managed to spot her in the stands and give her a thumbs up. It was a pregame ritual of his to find his sister or other relatives who were in the stands.

"She went to go grab some popcorn and some drinks...where' s Marik?"

Tea shrugged her shoulders."He said he would be here. So how did you plan on hooking up your couple?"

Joey snickered as he recited his plan. "I planted anonymous love notes in both of their lockers! They'll met at the concession stand at halftime, and the rest, as they say, is the future."

Tea rolled her eyes. "First of all, that is the most cliched, overused hook-up idea in the world. Second, the saying is 'the rest is history'."

Joey put on a smirk of a grin. "And what do _you _have planned, little miss perfect?"

Tea stammered as her face started to turn a light shade of pink. "Um...I'm not sure, actually."

"Hey, look down on field!" Joey pointed as one of the Domino High players pushed the ball towards the opposing goal.

_The sophomore Van Gardener pushing the ball quickly down the field. There are no defenders near him, just him and the keeper...he takes the shot...TOO TALL...it had the ability to get past Luske the keeper, but it went just above the goal. Luske the keeper will kick it back in play..._

"Tough break...he had a nice shot."

Tea nearly wet herself as a pair of hands gripped her shoulders from the row above her. After looking up and seeing Marik standing behind her having the laugh of his life, she began a stream of profanities that would have earned her an eternity of detention time had a teacher been in earshot.

"Take it easy, Tea. Where's your sense of humor?" Marik teased. Joey was standing beside Tea nearly laughing his head off.

Tea turned away in a mock fit of anger. "I don't have one. And if you're not careful, you'll find my foot up your ass!"

"Whatever. It's about halftime...do you want anything?"

"Diet Coke...easy on the ice."

"Yes, your majesty." Marik bowed, as best he could considering his cramped confines, and headed for the concessions stand.

After the annoying prick that was her boyfriend had disappeared into the crowd, Tea turned her attention back to Joey. "Hey, if you said they were supposed to meet at halftime, that means you have to seperate them so that they don't know what's going on."

Joey seemed to be lost in thought for a second, then mumbled a curse at himself under his breath. "You're right...but how do I seperate 'em?"

Tea smiled. "You're a smart guy, figure it out."

_And that will do it for the first half of play. Domino and MacAuthur are tied at 0-0. Comming up in just a few moments, Big and Rich live in concert!_

As the two teams headed for the locker rooms, Van felt someone bump hard into him with their shoulder from behind. He looked around and realized that it was the same guy whom Tea told him harassed her earlier.

"Oh, it's you Gardener. How's your 7-11 of a sister, now that she's dating that loser?-"

Van clenched his fists, but walked on, trying his hardest to ignore the taunts.

"You do know why we call her 7-11, don't you? For starters, _anybody_ can get lucky with her! Get it? 7-11, lucky numbers? And another thing, her mouth and her legs never close...just like the store! That Arab bastard was lucky to find such a sexy piece of a-."

Before Van could even think twice about it, he had dropped the MacAuthur player to the ground with a right hook not of this world. In a blur of action, he had the older boy pinned beneath him as he pummeled him into the ground. The two teams saw what was going on and jumped into the fray. When all was said and done, five players had been ejected from the game, including Van. His antagonist, however, was allowed to come back for the second half.

A bewildered Tea had run out of the crowd to try to get down on the field to at least speak with her brother, but security stopped her in her tracks. She begged and pleaded, but to no avail. They couldn't let just anyone onto the field, kin to the players or not.

**_Meanwhile, at the concessions stand... _**

Joey looked around, his mind frantically thinking of a plan. _How the hell am I going to get those two alone? Tristan and Duke won't leave her alone for a damn nanosecond, and that little brat Rebecca found Yug and won't turn him loose! Dammit, how do they pull this off in all those sappy love movies? Tea...I hope you're having better luck than I am._

**_Back in the stadium... _**

Tea returned to her seat in a huff. She didn't even notice that Marik had held her drink for her and was waiting for her when she sat down. _Great. Just fucking great. First my brother gets kicked out of his game, now I'm totally blowing off the guy I came here to invite to the dance. Joey...I hope you're having better luck than I am._

_Next time: Will anyone's luck get better? And can the Wildcats overcome the loss of one of their star players? And where are Ishizu and Kaiba?..._

**I want to thank all of you for your patience and for your kind reviews. If it wern't for you, I'd have cut this short where I said I would, at about 8 or 9 chapters. Anyway, if you have any questions, feel free to email me or ask in the reviews. Also starting this chapter, I'll post my review responses on my profile page, since "the man" doesn't want you to put them on the fic. So a day or two after you review, chech there and I should have something there to say. Well, thanks, and I hope you all had a happy Halloween. Special shoutout to my lil sister who turns 12 today, I LOVE YOU JAZZ! Next time people...**

**BDB...out. **

**_  
_**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: FF is such a wonderful place! Now I can send you a response to your reviews thanks to a new feature added by the higher-ups. Ain't technology wonderful? Oh, just a warning, a major plot development occurs in this very chapter. No, it doesn't involve our two lovebirds kissing. Enjoy!**

**Warning: This chapter opens with profanity-laced tirade from one of the soccer coaches. If you don't like reading/seeing such language in fanfics, scroll down until you see the words "boys,we've gotta believe" Please? Thank you.**

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter 15_**

With the score tied at halftime, the two coaches took opposite approaches to motivating their players to play their best. In the MacAuthur locker room, the mood was far from upbeat...

"One more point and I'm getting the fuck outta here...if you can't cover Van Gardener, if you are just gonna let him walk right by you uncontested to the damn goal, I'm getting the fuck outta here and you punks are gonna run until you can't eat supper...**LOOK AT ME! I'm tired of this shit! I'm sick and fucking tired of losing state championships! I'm sick and fucking tired of losing ot that rag-tag band of nobodys! I'm not here to fuck around this weekend...you may be, but i'm not! If I don't see more hustle out of you punks you won't believe the next motherfuckin' day! I'll run your little asses into the ground! I-I'll fuckin' run ya till you can't tell your ass from a hole in the ground! I had to sit around without a state championship for a whole fucking year, and you WON'T fucking put me in that position again...or you'll Goddamn pay for it like you can't fuckin' believe...so get your heads outta your asses!**

In what seemed like night and day, Domino's soccer coach took on a more reserved approach.

"Boys...we've gotta believe. Somebody asked me at a dinner last week what Domino High School meant to me. First, it's academics. Second...family, people who care. Not people that care when you're black or white, rich or poor, when you're a winner or a loser, but they really, truthfullycare. I told you when we started our playoff run in Sacramento that when the school burned down in 1987, the only mistake that Principal Zane said they made was they didn't build the damn thing big enough. In 2003, they said we would never win again.We were alot like Jaden over there...we wanted to win, but didn't necessarily know how. In 2004,we got like Chaz over there,we wanted to win and knew how to win. Then...this year,we took on Val's personalilty...we wanted to win, knew how to win...but didn't always exhibit it. But that's all in the past now. I just want you to remember this...inside of you men there is a spirit, just like the Domino players who came before you, and just like those who will come after you. That spirit tells you to fight. You have to listen to that spirit, and fight for it, and you've gotta believe in it."

When the teams were prepairing to take the field for the second half...the rains came. A powerful downpour that washed over the stadium and left small puddles of water on the playing field. This storm would not only affect the players, but the fans in the stands as well. One of those fans was happy that she didn't wear a white shirt, like some of her less fourtunate female counterparts (need I say why?). Tea held a small umbrella over her already-soaked head, hoping to keep herself at least somewhat dry. Marik was standing next to her, grumbling about his "stolen" umbrella to himself. What the hell was her problem? She took his stuff without even asking, like they were some kind of...nope. No way! They absolutely, positively, _**SO**_ weren't a couple. Right? I mean, they had hardly even known each other a few weeks! That sort of whirlwind romance only happens in those crappy Romantic comedies and stupid fanfictions on the internet. Seriously...if somebody wrote of those things about his school, he would be with Tea, Yugi would probably be with Mai, and who knows what they would do with somebody like Joey! He looked over to the players' entrance into the stadium and saw both teams coming back onto the field. They were going to try to play in this monsoon? Nobody's going to be able to score on that field! It was soggier than a corn flake that had been sitting in milk for three days!

Joey, meanwhile had decided to give up on his plan...at least for now. Yugi was being smothered by a girl named Rebecca, and his two horndog friends were nearly fighting each other just to hold his sister's popcorn so it wouldn't get soggy due to the rain. He wished he could go ahead and get this date set up for his buddy...hell, he had a date to set up too! He and Mai teased each other constantly about who they would show up with, but both of them knew in their heart of hearts that all Joey had to do was ask. That wasn't what had Joey concerned. He wanted to know if she was going to agree to his After-party plans...

**_Meanwhile, in downtown Domino City..._**

Ishizu played with her stir fry as she and Kaiba looked away from one another. They both knew what they were here to discuss, and both of them agreed to meet here to discuss it. Why were they so silent?

"Ishizu?"

_Thank God, he finally breaks the ice_."Yes?"

Kaiba hesitated for a moment, then regained his steel-like composure. "Have you come to a decision?"

Ishizu nodded her head. "Yes, I have. I've thought about what you said to me the other day, and I've taken into consideration what would be best for Marik. I've tried to make life here work for us, mostly for his sake, and it seems that whatever I've done to try to make things better has only made things worse."

Kaiba remained silent as she continued.

"I'll accept your offer, effective the end of this school year so Marik can finish up his junior year."

She turned her head away from him as she finished, seemingly disgusted by her own actions. Kaiba remained emotionless.

"A wise decision...I'll draw up the papers. I am curious, though, what changed your mind?"

Ishizu rose to her feet, a sad, defeated expression on her face. "I'd rather not say. Now, if you will excuse me..."

Ishizu strolled out oftherestaurant with a calm resolution that defied her inner turmoil. Why did she accept Kaiba's offer? Was it really to give Marik a fresh start...or was it to run away from her own inner turmoil?

_**Back at the stadium...**_

_We are less than five minutes from overtime in this 0-0 struggle between two rivals that are less than three miles apart! Domino has failed to generate any meaningful scoring chances since Van Gardener was ejected after a brawl at the end of the first half, and MacAuthur has struggled the entire match to solve this defensive puzzle put before them...Per high school rules, there will be no "stoppage time" in this match, when we hit the 90-minute mark we will head straight for the extra period...Domino, trying to get one more shot on goal before the end of regulation..._

Tea and Marik looked down on the field as the players ran, tripped and sled on the muddy, water-soaked field. She thanked God that she had kept the ticket she was planning to give to Marik in her purse, but still had no idea of how to give it to him without the moment feeling ackward to the both of them.

_Kilpatrick on the pass to Yuki, JadenYuki, the freshman driving towards the goal, challenging Luske. He cranks up, takes a shot...SCOOOORRRRREEEEEE! Jaden Yuki, just stepped on the collective face of the the MacAuthur faithful with a hobnail boot and broke their nose! The Wildcats get on the board first with less than two minutes to play!_

As she saw the potential championship-winning goal score land in the net, she grabbed Marik in what seemed to be a fit of hysteria and hugged onto him tightly. This put Marik in an odd situation. Yes, he was happy that their team had scored. No, he didn't mind Tea hugging him...well, sort of. He didn't mind her showing her emotions and all, it's just that this random action of Tea's was starting to have a profound affect on Marik's...lower regions. When Tea finally felt something on her thigh (and she realized that it definitely WASN'T a pen), she pulled away quickly, her face flushed with a mix of surprise, embarassment, and a little bit of anger. Marik could only manage a sheepish grin when she looked at him, her blue eyes glazed with confusion.

"Um...sorry about that..." He managed to get out as he fiddled around with his rain-soaked hair, hoping he didn't get the same sort of treatment that he heard Joey had gotten for similar incidents in the past.

"It's okay...I did get a little carried away." Tea gave out a nervous giggle. "Look on the bright side, at least I know you're not gay!"

Marik laughed too, then frowned when he realized he found something in that statement he didn't necessarily like. "What! People think I'm-"

Tea said something along the lines of "It was a joke" but was muffled under an intense roar from the crowd around them. The game was over and the Domino team had ran onto the field in joy (Tea's younger brother full in the throng). Tea looked down the row to see Joey, Tristan, and Duke trading high-fives while Yugi and Serenity applauded the team's effort.

As they heard the slow, soothing sounds of the school Alma Mater being sung, the Domino High School students held hands and began to sway from side to side, as did the players on the field, who faced them.

_Boy, is there going to be some property destroyed tonight or what! Domino wins this 1-0 classic over thier arch-nemesis to claim their sixth state championship in boys' soccer. For MacAuthur, its a trip home empty-handed. Thanks for listening to today's game folks, Good Night and drive home safely._

_**Ishtar Household**_

Ishizu was at her workdesk, writing in her personal journal. The ink wasn't the only thing she was using to cover the pages of this book: it was covered with her tears as well. Her entries weren't as frequent as in the past, but none of them were as painful as the one she was writing tonight.

**_Dear Journal:_**

**_I did it...I sold it all to Kaiba. Kaiba asked me to night what changed my mind, what made me decide to give up on most of the dreams I setfor myself. I couldn't give him the answer that I truly felt:I just can't take this anymore! I haven't been able to sleep since "it" happened, and whenever I dodoze offI have nightmares that are just too painful for me to write about here. I say that I'm doing this for Marik, for HIS future, for HIS sake, but it doesn't feel like I even thought about him. How will he react to leaving here? It appears that he FINALLY has started to make friends here...and one special friend in particular. Could he forgive me for moving us away from those he cares about? I feel so much shame, so much anger, and most of it is directed at myself. I feel that if I were a little stronger, if I were a better person, maybe Marik would not have suffered as much as he has. Kaiba is going to have the papers delivered to me tomorrow, and all I have to do is sign them to make it all official. A part of me feels like dirt for doing it, another part feels that I'm looking out for what's best for my dear brother, and another part of me feels like a little child, as if I'm running away from everything that has happened. I pray that I've made the right decision, not just for myself, but for Marik._**

**_Yours Truly:_**

**_Ishizu Ishtar_**

Ishizu closed her journal and tucked it back into her secret hiding place for it as she heard her brother enter through the front door. She could hear some laughter as he stepped inside, and heard a voice that she recognized as Tea's telling him that she would see him tomorrow. She assumed that he hada smile on his face, but wondered if that smile would still be there after she gives him news that would change both of their lives- for better or worse.

**Well? What do you all think? Is Ishizu going to go through with it after all? Find out next time!**

**BDB...out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**_A/N: _**Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news: the next two chapters after thiswill probably be the longest chapters I've written for this fic (Which isn't saying much, but you get the idea). The bad news...they are going to be the last two. As much as I've enjoyed writing this fic and I hope you've enjoyed reading it, I think it's time for me to wrap this up and move on to other things that have been itching at my brain. Rest assured though, this fic will go out with a strong finish. I promise. Enjoy the chapter.

**_Warning:_** **This chapter contains graphic language that some may consider inappropriate. Read at your own risk.**

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter 16_**

Marik wasn't usually an early riser, especially on Saturday mornings. Either he'd sleep in until Ishizu literally pulled him off of his bed, or watch anime DVDs until he decided it was time to join the rest of Earth outside. Well, this wasn't a usual Saturday. He was going out with friends for a full day out in the city, something that he was sure he had not done before. They were going to the mall's video game store, _Jabroni's_, for a card game show and a look at some of the new video game consoles that were comming out on the market. Then, a quick movie in the afternoon, probably some predictable, boring comedy. Finally, a group dinner at a restaurant downtown. The food would no doubt be a little pricey, but definitely worth it. What did the teenager choose to wear on this most excellent day? Just a pair of blue jeans, blue and white sneakers and a white T-shirt that he would iron after breakfast. Simple, but clean enough so he could most places without being mistaken for a bum. As he walked into the kitchen with only a pair of boxers on, saw his sister looking down at a piece of paper. He peered over he shoulder to see what he was reading, but caught a whiff of a scent that was once an all-too-familar staple of their home.A stench that he had hoped not to ever smell again.

His sister reeked of alcohol.

"Good morning, sister." He mumbled.

"Is it really?"

He could tell that her speech was a bit slurred, and her breath smelled of whiskey. "You're drunk, Ishizu."

She laughed at his observation. "I'm not drunk...I only had about half a bottle of Jack Daniels!" Ishizu tried to stand up, but would have fallen on the floor if not for her brother.

"You promised not to drink again, after Father died. Remember?"

Ishizu looked at him, her drunken mind barely able to process what he had said. "Shut up, you little snot. I'll drink when I want!" The raven-haired young woman was reaching for the half-empty bottle next to a small stack of papers, but the bottle was quickly snatched up by her younger brother.

"Sister, you've had enough." Marik held the bottle at arm's length away from her as she attempted to wrestle the bottle away from him, but barely had enough strength about her toreach for the bottle.

"You little prick...no wonder everybody in town hates us!" She was clearly getting worked up by her brother refusing to let her drink more, and was about to let him have it.

"You stick your nose where it doesn't belong, you walk around sulking with a frown on your face all day, and don't get me started on that slut you've been seeing!"

Marik frowned. He knew that she didn't mean it. The alcohol had taken away her normally rational mind. "Please don't talk about Tea that way."

"I'll do as I damn well please, you bastard!" She tried to stand again and managed to stand up with the aid of the table, which she used to prop herself up. "I've heard she fucked half of the football team when she was a FRESHMAN! I guess you like slutty girls though, don't you."

Marik shook his head. "You need to rest. I can already tell that your hangover's going to be terrible."

She didn't seem to hear him.Marik could look at her silk, royal blue pajama outfit had been repeatedly stained with liquor and vomit. As she decided to speak again, she managed to give him a brutal backhand across the face without falling to the floor.

"You love sluts don't you?" Ishizu laughed a little; a eerie, disturbing laugh that her teenage brother had not heard before. "Tell me, is she as tight as she looks?"

Marik couldn't even respond now, he just stood there, mouth agape. His eyes were full of pity for his older sister, who appeared to have been deeply troubled by something.

"You know, when those guys...raped me...the were mentioning her." Her voice went as deep and gruffy as it could. "_Say boys, who do you think would be tighter, this bitch or that Gardener girl?...Dunno, Rick, but there's no way in hell that third-rate cheerleader is hot as this woman naked!...Damn right, Johnny! Move outta the way, I want in that!" _

She then began to mimic the horrible violation that had occured just a few weeks earlier. Her hips thrust back and forth furiously, holding onto the chair as if it were the victim. Marik could see her tears. Hell, he could feel his own on his face. What had driven his siter to this insanity? She appeared to have been recovering well from the rape, and things had been going better than expected at the museum she had helped to open. What was wrong with her?

"When they finished, you wanna know what they said, Marik? Huh? While I was losing conciousness, they said when you wake up, blame that sand nigger of a brother of yours. And guess what?" She tried walking over to him again, but tripped and fell to the floor.

"I HATE YOU!"

Marik sat on the floor, holding his sister as she kicked, screamed and punched at him.

**"I FUCKING HATE YOU!"**

Marik held her, gently whispering words of encouragement as she began to calm down. When she finally had went to sleep, he carried over to the couch and covered her in a blanket. Even in her sleep, she look so troubled. He looked down at her tearstained face and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

"I love you too, sister."

* * *

Tea had made her way to Yugi's house, where he and the rest of the gang were watching a wrap-up show from the soccer state championships, from which they had come home from last night. 

_"So, Michael, what do you take away from these finals?"_

_"Well, De La Salle continues it's dominance in Division III, they were easy winners as they just drill San Dimas 6-0. Of course that huge win by Ajax, the number 15 seed in the Division II bracket, over West Sacramento 3-2. But the one thing that I'll remember most,a young freshman by the name of Jaden Yukiscoring the game winning goal inthe closing minutesto beat MacAuthur in Division I 1-0. That's a goal that Domino City or that young man will not soon forget."_

_"Indeed, and it gave their young coach David Perry his first state title and the school's first title in nearly a decade. Well, for my colleague Michael Tubbs, I'm Jimmy Caine. Good night and see you next season."_

Joey stretched and yawned as he turned off the television. "Sup, Tea? Where's Marik?"

Tea looked around the room, about asclueless as her friend. "I have no clue. He told me last night he would be here around 11:30." The girl frowned as she looked down at her watch. "It's already half past noon; we'd better get going."

Yugi nodded his head in agreement. "Maybe you can call him and tell him to meet us at the mall."

Tea smiled. She wanted to do what her gut told her and just vent about being stood up, but something told her to hold back. Something didn't feel right.

* * *

Seto Kaiba had gone through his usual Saturday morning routine: watch cartoons with Mokuba, get in a quick workout in his state-of-the-art gym, and go about the buisness of running his company. After giving a poor intern a tounge-lashing for failing to bring him his afternoon agenda before 11:01 A.M., he locked himself into his office for a long workday. 

_That game store is opening today downtown, and the owner has requested that I be present. The only reason that I **will **go is that my new version of the Duel Disk will be released there exclusively. It should be a profitable adventure for both of us..._

Kaiba was pulled from his thoughts by his phone's constant buzzing.

"**THIS BETTER BE IMPORTANT!**" Seto loved to harass and intimidate his employees. He took satisfaction in watching them squirm, or even just stutter from the sound of his icy voice.

"Um...Mister Kaiba, sir, a Detective Carter here to see you."

All buisness had definitely come to a hault.

**Well, one down, two to go. As this fic starts to come to a close, I would like to ask if anyone who has been reading and not reviewing to review. And if you think anything is wrong or out of place, say so! I would rather you say something than nothing at all. Hehe, all the reviews so far have been surprisingly positive. When I started, I certainly did not think that would be the case. Thanks to everybody for reading, and have a happy holiday season.**

**BDB...out.**


	17. Chapter 17

**_A/N: _**Hello all, I hope you all had a happy holiday of your choice (there are so many different ones now I won't bother to list). Also, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year in advance! Enjoy the chapter.

**_Angry People_**

**_Chapter 17_**

_"A Detective Carter to see you, sir." _

Kaiba had frozen at the mere mention of the word "Detective". Why is this guy here? His plan was fool-proof! There was no way in hell that they could trace this back to him...unless...Damn it! That bastard he hired talked! What was he going to do now? Confess? Not an option. Lie? He could, but he'd have to make sure his story is plausible. As these thoughts ran through the young man's mind, his frigid blue eyes fixed onto the man who had come in and offered his hand for a handshake.

"Detective Jonathan Carter. You're Seto Kaiba, I presume."

Kaiba took the man's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Yes..." He studied over the detective for a moment. He assumed he was somewhere in his late-thirties or early-forties due to the patches of gray in his otherwise jet-black hair; his eyes were a sort of hazel with green. His face was lean and and somewhat long. He didn't have the body of a world-class athlete, but looked like he could easily hold his own in a tough spot. "What is this about, Detective? I have many engagements to keep."

The man smiled a little as he pulled something out of his pocket. "It's nothing really. Just investigating some cases." The envelope that he had pulled out of his khaki pants was placed on Kaiba's desk. "I've been told that one of your employees was a witness to a murder that took place a little while back. You know, that big gang shooting."

Kaiba nodded his head. "Then why don't you go question my employee?"

The detective's smile seemed to evaporate. "He's not avaliable. I was wondering if you could tell me."

The detective's sudden change in demeanor was not lost on the young buisnessman. "I hire and fire dozens of people everyday, how should I know?"

"I think you know more than you let on, Mr. Kaiba."

"And I think you're wasting my time. Unless you have something **_important_** to ask me, I have engagements to keep."

The detective stared at Kaiba blankly for a moment, then suddenly smiled again. "Of course. I can't keep the wealthiest man in our great city from keeping his engagements! It would look terrible on my record...please open that envelope when you have some time, Mr. Kaiba." With that, the detective walked out of the room.

Kaiba, in an expression completely out of his normal character, breathed a heavy sign of relief. That was a bit too close, even for him. His eyes went down to the small envelope that the detective had placed on his desk. He ripped it open and saw a picture fall out, along with some other papers. The picture was of a little girl...

* * *

Marik and Ishizu sat next to each other on their couch, watching some movie about a waterboy playing football. 

"Little brother..."

Marik didn't even take his eyes away from the screen. "Yeah?"

"Didn't you have a date with Tea today?"

Marik nodded his head. "Sort of...us and the rest of her friends were going out today to a new game shop."

"Sounds like fun...you should go and join them." Ishizu wrapped a blanket she had brought in around her a little tighter, as if she were trying to stay warm.

"It's okay...I'll stay here."

Ishizu nodded, her eyes looking at the television screen but not even paying attention. "Marik...I'm sellingeverything.Our home, the museum, everything."

For the first first time, brother and sister looked each other in the eyes. "I know."

Ishizu exhaled deeply. "How did you find out?"

"I read the papers while you were passed out." Marik grinned at her as he went on. "You're getting a pretty penny for it, I see."

Ishizu looked away. "Yes...but there is one thing I want to ask you. I tried to make this decision so that it works for both of us, but I don't think I can. Before I sign those papers, there is one thing I need to know. Do you want to leave?"

Marik cocked his head to the side. "I don't think so...I never really gave much thought to it. I mean, I do hate it here sometiems but I'm not sure where else we could go, or would want to go."

Ishizu looked over at her brother again and smiled. "Me neither." She snuggled underneath the warm blanket and closed her eyes. "We'll discuss this later...after your date."

Marik looked down at his watch and cursed. Tea was going to kill him for being nearly three hours late!

* * *

She was going to kill that boy for being three hours late, Tea thought in her mind. How dare he stand her up like this? She looked on at the demo of the new game system that Yugi had been raving about for months. The graphics of the system looked so realistic that she could barely tell whether or not it was an actual game. It showed some guy sitting down at a bus stop, reading a magazine. A dark, ominous figure walks by him and touches him on the shoulder. Somehow (Tea guessed magic) the boy began to see all of these images of fierce battles between highly skilled swordsman, mages, etc. In a flash, the dream ended, and the boy dropped his book and ran after the dark one. The image faded out and left only a few words on the screen: 

**_Light or Dark?_**

**_Good or Evil? _**

**_Hope or Despair?_**

**_Make your choice...and Follow the Road._**

**_Comming June 2006_**

As the crowed cheered the end of the promo, Tea decided to browse around the rest of the store. She occasionally enjoyed playing games with the boys and even had a system of her own at home. While her friends' tastes leaned more towards the fighting and sports genres, hers was more towards role-playing and puzzle games. As she explored the small and very crowded store, she bumped into a tall, brooding figure.

"I'm sorry." Tea looked up at the person and realized that it was none other than her classmate Seto Kaiba. "Um, hello..."

She could feel his eyes fixed squarely on her, and didn't find the feeling pleasant.

"Watch where you're going, Gardener."

Tea's face contorted into a bit of a snarl. "I apologized. Accidents happen, even to those who think they're perfect."

Kaiba looked down at her, his emotions unchanged. "Whatever, now why don't you go find a stripper pole to dance on? Excuse me."

Tea resisted the urge to spit in his face or even curse at him, but managed to curl her small hands into fists and keep them glued to her sides as he walked away, gritting her teeth in the process.

_It's a good thing that bastard's walking away! Stupid pervert!_

"**_WOWWZAAAA!_**"

Tea rolled her eyes. From one pervert to another. She walked over to where a seemingly dumbstruck Joey was almost shaking in shock. At least this pervert never called her a stripper, she thought as she looked around. Then she saw it.

"Ryou?..."

There was Ryou Bakura, the quiet one of the group, in the corner of the store...making out with one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen, Mai Valentine included. Long golden brown hair, perfect legs, the face of an angel highlighted by beautiful green eyes...but wait a second! This was Ryou here! When they first met him, they thought he had a crush on Joey for goodness sake! He had shown absolutely **_zero _**interest in girls...

Ryou scratched his head nervously as his apparent girlfriend held him by the waist. "Ummm, hey guys! This is Mana..."

_So..THAT'S why he's been skipping out on us so much lately!_ Tea thought with a smile on her face.

The girl giggled a little and waved before she adjusted her super-tight shirt on her body.

Yugi was dumbfounded. Tristan was stunned. Joey was drooling while trying to keep an eye out for his own girlfriend. Duke was mentally going through his best pick-up lines. As usual, Tea had to speak for everyone.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tea."

She smiled and extended her hand.

As the event came to a close, Tea started to romp towards her house. She was a bit upset in the afternoon, but as she looked up at the sky and saw darkness closing in she became extremely pissed off. Why didn't he come? Why didn't he even bother to answer his phone? Who the hell did he think he was to stand her up like that? She marched up to her front door and found her younger brother standing in the doorway.

"Hey, sis."

"Get the hell outta my way!" She tried to push him out of the way, but her little brother wasn't exactly little. He stood nearly 6'4'' and although on the skinny side was very muscular.

"Calm down...what's got you all riled up?"

"**_Fucking Marik Ishtar, that's what!_**" Tea shrieked. Herangry expression got even angrier as her brother started to grin.

"Mom and Dad are home, so I'd tone down the volume and the language. I have two pieces of really good news!"

Tea folded her arms across her chest. "Go ahead..."

"Texas called today."

Tea raised an eybrow. "You know somebody named 'Texas'?"

"No, Einstien. For somebody in the top ten percent in your class you're as dense as a rock. The University of Texas called. They're interested in me."

"News flash: half the damn country has been calling here trying to recruit you, so that's nothing new. What's the other piece of good news?"

"Oh, that 'fucking Marik Ishtar' as you call him, he's sitting on our couch."

Tea nearly fainted.

The same boy who had the nerve to ditch her and not even call was sitting on her family's couch, a welcome guest. His face had a cocky grin on it that upset her yet really made him look so damn cute to her. She calmly walked into the living room, and he stood up.

"Do I really get you all riled up?" Marik grinned again.

**SLAP!**

Marik held his now-stinging cheek with his right hand. "Um...I'll take that as a yes."

Tea pulled him even closer. "You better."

Marik's cockiness was gone as he found himself being pulled into a deep, passionate kiss.

**_More A/N: _**I'd just like to let you all know that next chapter, which I plan on being twice as long as this one, will be the last. All (or almost all) of your questions will be answered. A couple of quick notes on the chapter, the game promo was inspired by a commercial I saw for the National Football League (No, I'm not an owner, so there's your disclaimer). Oh, and "Mana"...if I'm not mistaken, is the incarnation/inspiration for, or whatever, for the "Dark Magician Girl" card in the series and manga. Sorry for the wait, and leave a review on the way out, please?

BDB...out.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Well, here it is. If you want to know why I've decided to finish this fic, it's for mainly two reasons. One, quite honestly, is that I have too many other ideas for fics outside of the YGO fandom, so I've decided to finish most if not all of my YGO works before moving on to other things. Second, you people have been such loyal readers that I think you deserve for me to finish this fic without dragging you through about four or five excess chapters. So, ladies and gentleman, here it is. Enjoy...**

**_Angry People_**

**_Final Chapter_**

Bliss.

That's the only word that they could use to describe it. It was a strange sort of kiss...it wasn't a simple peck on the lips or cheek a young boy or girl would give their crush on the playground. Neither was it a sloppy, lusty kiss that you would probably see in many adult films. It was a kiss that confirmed the feelings they felt for each other were real and very powerful. A kiss of true love, the fairy tales called it. It's something neither thought they would ever have. Tea had numerous suiters, some of them her own friends (she and Joey went out briefly their freshman year and Duke was always half-joking about wanting to date her). But she was a little hesitant, especially when she started to suspect that Yugi had a crush on her. Of course she had her own crushes, Seto Kaiba being one of them for a while, but she resisted the impulse to act out on those feelings. Maybe it was fear of being rejected. Maybe it was fearing that her strong friendships with her male counterparts would suffer. No such fear was in her mind right now. Marik was thought of as very attractive by most of his female classmates, both past and present. But the fact that he was a target of senseless aggression from other students, combined with his sometimes abrasive attitude, usually sent the girls running towards the hills. But not her.

She stood by him.

She didn't care who harassed him.

She didn't care about his reputation.

She didn't care that they were from different races.

She didn't care that they saw things in the world around them differently.

She loved him.

He stood by her.

He didn't care that she was slightly annoying at first.

He didn't care about the rumors going around about their relationship.

He didn't care about people and the standards they tried to enforce to keep them apart.

He didn't care that his sister was selling all that they owned so that they could leave the city.

He loved her.

**_Damn, he loved her!_**

How long was it? A second? A minute? An eternity? The kiss that seemingly lasted forever finally ended and the two lovers just looked at each other for a moment, as if checking to see if what they had done really happened.

Tea's brother just stood there, his mouth agape.

"Marik?" Her voice was soft and sweet, if not cheerful.

"Yeah?"

"We still have a date, don't we?"

The boy smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

**_California Family Court_**

Mokuba fidgited in his chair as he and his brother waited to be summoned into the courtroom. "Um...big brother...why are we here?"

"To take care of something."

Mokuba looked at him with suspicsion. "What? I thought our monthly hearing with the family court was next week, isn't it?"

The elder Kaiba stood as he saw a young female receptionist approach him. "We're not here for that."

Mokuba's confusion was even more apparent on his face as his brother walked into the courtroom. He hurriedly followed behind him and took a seat next to him at their designated table.

The judge, a middle-aged white woman with greying brown hair, looked at the file that her assistant had brought to her. When she spoke, her voice had a deep, authoritative quality to it. "Mr. Kaiba...this is an unusual request, I must say. Pardon my crudeness, but someone at your age is usually out making their own children instead of adopting. Why this child? Why now?"

Kaiba glared at her, his blue eyes fixed on her with their usual fridgidness. "That's not your concern, with all due respect. I'm not here for a publicity stunt, if that's what you're wondering. Will you or will you not grant my request?

The woman, who appeared used to Kaiba's antics, took off her reading glasses and massaged her temples. Then she took a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"Seto...are you aware that you are underage and that your probationary adoption status of your brother will remain in effect until you turn 18 years old?"

"Yes."

"Are you also aware that inthis previous ruling, there is no mention of if you seek to adopt and or "take in" another child?"

"Yes."

"Okay...I'll tell you what I'll do, Mr. Kaiba. Under normal circumstances, I would refuse your request. This, however, does not qualify as a normal circumstance. Most seventeen-year-olds can't raise a child, yet you do it and run a multi-million dollar corporation. And your brother seems to be well-taken care of...Alright. Does the State have anything to add?"

The "State", or a lawyer representing the state of California, shook his head and gave a quiet "No, Your Honor."

Then the judge smiled. "Then be it know that Ruth Alphonse will now be known as Ruth Kaiba." As quickly as the woman's smile appeared, it faded. "I'm trusting you, Seto. Don't let me or this child down."

Mokuba was stunned by what he saw next. Was his brother...smiling? And not one of his usual snarls or smirks either. A pure, honest to goodness smile?

"I won't."

"Good...if we have no further buisness, we stand adjourned."

* * *

**_April 23, 2005 (Domino High Prom Night)_**

Two friends sat outside the entrance of the ballroom rented for their high school prom. One was dressed in a traditional black tuxedo with a black tie, the other in a more extravagent all-white suit. The one in black looked on in disgust as his friend lit up a cigarette.

"Those'll kill ya, ya know."

The one in white looked over at him and laughed. "Yeah, and so is the principal if he ever finds out you're bangin' his daughter."

The young man blushed, his mouth almost hanging open in astonishment. "How...how did you-?"

"Dude, with all my female connectionsI know the personal buisness of ninety-eight percent of this whole damn school. You didn't think you were immune, huh?"

The one inblack sat still, thinking of a way to quickly change the subject. "Um...where are you going tocollege?"

"Grambling State."

"Isn't that out in Louisiana?"

The boy pulled out a blade of grass nearby the steps of the building. "Yeah, my family wanted me to get the whole 'black' experience, I guess. School's damn near all black, you know."

The white kid nodded his head, as if he understood. "...I got accepted to USC (University of Southern California), my dad's old school, but I'm not going."

The black kid laughed again. "A dumbass like you managed to get into USC, and you say no thanks? Why?"

"Because they wouldn't give me a football scholarship. The academic one would have barely covered tuition."

"Why don't you just walk-on and try out? Gut it out until a scholarship opens up."

The other boy shook his head. "I got a better deal...from UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles)."

This inspired another fit of laughter from the boy in white. "Are you just **_asking_** for your old man to disown you?" (A/N: USC and UCLA are both located in the Los Angeles area, and are bitter rivals in most college sports.)

"Nah, I told him about it. He said he'll disown me only one Saturday a year."

The two boys laughed again, after which there was a long, hesitant pause.

"I'm gonna miss hangin' out with you, Johnny."

"Yeah...me too, Will."

The two heard a rustling nearby in some bushes and looked over.

"What the hell was that?"

John shrugged. "Don't bother, probably just some cat or something."

* * *

Marik was adjusting his lavender tie in the bathroom mirror, his sister watching. He decided on a white tuxedo and incredibly shiny white shoes to match. 

"Sister, how do I look?"

"Like someone who won't be in until early the next morning." Ishizu smiled, something that she rarely did. Not that she was always grumpy or had a reputation of being an "Ice Queen", it was just that she rarely had anything to smile about. "Just a word of advice: bring a condom. Maybe two."

Marik stood there with his mouth wide open, his eyes wide. A month ago his sister was preaching the benefits of abstinence, and now she's telling him to pack rubbers?

"Um..."

"Don't worry about it. I know you and Tea are going to do what you want to do tonight, regardless of whatever her parents or I tell you. Just be careful, ok?"

"Sure..." Marik laughed nervously. He expected to get something similar to that statement from his sister sooner or later, he just didn't expect her to be that blunt about it.

"Oh, do you have all of your things packed?" Ishizu had gone into the living room and sat at her desk, but her voice easily carried through the apartment.

"Yeah...have you decided on where you're going?"

"Not too far away, probably San Diego. Ryou's father is okay with you moving in, right?"

"Yeah." Marik slightly cringed at the thought of moving in with Ryou. He was grateful (but a bit sad) that his sister had allowed him to stay behind while she started a new life for herself, but he already saw that Ryou would be a bit of a challenge to get along with in a living situation. He was a neat freak, Marik was a little sloppy. He listened to soft, instumental music; Marik listened to eardrum-bursting rock. Throw in a near-nympomaniac that Ryou has for a girlfriend (he had accidentally walked in on one of their trysts and nearly fainted), and it all screamed run for the hills. But, hey, it's only one year.

He had other things to worry about tonight, like his prom date.

* * *

Joey and Mai were riding to the prom site in a limo that Joey had saved money to rent (he worked two part-time jobs over the summer). Mai was looking cheerfully out the window as Joey tugged at the collar of his shirt. Man, he hated formal wear. 

"Joey, remember when I first came to school here? What the other kids called me?"

Joey grimaced. He hated that term and wanted to pummel anyone who used it on her. "I think they called ya...Robobitch."

To his surprise, Mai giggled. "Yeah, I guess when I got here I was a bit of a bitch. I didn't have many friends at my old school, and the ones I did have were even more stuck-up than I was."

"You weren't that stuck-up...just a little tough to get ta know." Joey spoke hesitantly as he realized how close they were now. He could almost hear her breathe. "But you were worth tha effort."

Mai put a hand on his shoulder slowly, as if she was worried about something. "Do you really think that about me?"

Joey looked in her direction nervously. The sweet smell of her perfume was starting to become almost unbearable. "Yeah..."

Joey tried to look away from her; even though they had been going steady for six months, he still found her beauty intimidating. Her strapless violet dress left little to imagination, hugging to her unbelivably curvybody, and her face...Damn that beautiful thing! She could coax almost anything out of him by simply smiling.

She gently turned his face towards hers, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Joseph. You and your friends helped show me how wonderful life can be with friends who care about you. Tonight, I'm going to repay you."

Joey could barely get out the word. "How?"

Mai smiled again. Joey noticed the look in her eyes had changed a little. Scratch that...a lot.

"However you want me to."

Joey nearly melted. He heard the lust drip from her voice as she spoke. Was she going to let him...oh God. This was a moment that prom night was made for!

He silently hoped tha tthis night would go by very, very slowly.

* * *

Mokuba had managed to sucessfully sneak into to the prom through an open window. He almost got caught in the bushes outside the building, but was able to move quickly enough to avoid any suspicion. He didn't know in what part of the building she was in, but he'd find her. She was a couple of grades ahead of him due to her super-high intelligence, and sometimes scoffed at what she called his "childish" behavior. He loved to provoke her, just to see her face pout up (she was very cute when she was angry, although he would never admit it to her face or anyone else's). Now only one minor obstacle remained...finding his crush without running into his big brother.

* * *

Said big brother, Seto Kaiba was sitting in his own "private" corner of the ballroom, barely giving a glance at the students as they danced (if that hip-grinding, head-bobbing nonsense is what they wanted to call dancing). He wasn't into socializing, and definitely didn't enjoy dancing. Not that he couldn't when he so desired, of course...

Here he was, nearly 18 years old, and he had a secret that could easily bury him if it ever got out. He did take comfort in the fact that the only person who actually knew anything about the incident was his head bodyguard, Roland. But why did he adopt the girl? He already had one annoying (but loveable) brat to take of in his brother Mokuba, so why aquire another headache? Was it because he thought Mokuba was lonely and needed someone's company other than his? Was it because he was trying to cover his tracks? Was it because he saw that he had unintentionally wrecked this young girl's life that the only ways he could think of atoning for it without turning himself in were commiting suicide or raising the girl himself. Or was it that somehow, someway, that little girl reminded him of an innocence that he buried inside of himselfages ago?

He looked across the room and saw Marik and Tea enter the room together arm-in-arm. He had to admit that the aspiring dancer wore her royal blue gown very well. Her hair appeared to be combed normally, but he could tell that she was wearing earrings, something that she usually refrained from doing. She wasn't supremely beautifulbyhis tastes, but was still a very attractive girl nevertheless. It almost nausated him to see the the two of them sohappy, so blissful.In a way he was jealous of them. Sure the Ishtar boy had some tough times and was a little anti-social, but at least he was able to express what he was feeling most of the time. Most people simply thought of he, Seto Kaiba, as a human incarnation of Mount Everest: he's cold, tall, and just...there. He couldn't ever admit things that he felt, sometimes not even to himself. Feelings like he had for a certain young woman at one time. Feelings so strong that he would kill for her.

* * *

**"Will all thecouples please report to the dance floor? This will be the last dance..."**

**_(song: "When a Man Loves a Woman", sung by Michael Bolton)_  
**

As Tea felt her boyfriend's arms wrap gently around her, she looked around the ballroom. Joey was his usual clumsy self as Mai led him as best she could through the dance. Yugi and Serenity looked so painfully nervous as they danced, but appeared happy that they were together. Tristan and Duke (both had offered to dance with Serenity, but she politely declined.) were sitting down grumbling curses at one another. Mokuba, somehow, had managed to sneak in and steal a dance with Rebecca Hawkins. Her friends, all of them. She knew there weren't a lot of things right in the world. Senseless killings, senseless laws, senseless wars. People hating other people for no reason at all other than the color of their skin, the God they chose to worship or not worship, or the gender of someone they choose to love. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if not noticing that Marik had now pulled her to him, holding her gently. She thought of this night as sort of an escape, a dream. A dream from which she hoped that she would never wake up...

"Excuse me, Mr. Kaiba...do you have time to dance with a lady?"

Seto had heard that voice many times before, and knew instantly whom it was. "Does the lady have time to dance?"

He didn't have to look behind him to know the woman was smiling.

"The lady has all night."

**Well...as a wise man on ESPN said, That's it and that's all. Some quick tidbits I may not have mentioned: **

**Jayden Yuki, the freshman who scored the goal in the soccer match, is a character from Yugioh GX, currently airing on the Cartoon Network (no, I don't own GX either).**

**MacAuthur High was named for the Gen. Douglass MacAuthur, one of the great American generals in US history.**

**If you want, I can send you to a link to the music that insprired the two fight songs in the soccer match portion of the fic.**

**I'd just like to thank you all so much for reading, and I hope that if you took anything away from this fic, I hope that you just stopped and looked at yourself for a moment. Do you have any predjucies and misconceptions about any groups of people? Is there any basis for these? Are you going to give them up? Are you willing to? Goodbye and I hope to hear some of your reviews.**

**Oh, one last thing, If your a fan of Teen Titans, Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, or Inuyasha, look for some fics to start popping up in around Valentine's Day or so. Don't worry you YGO nuts, I'll finish my fics in this fandom, maybe start a new one. Until then...**

**BDB...out**


End file.
